Story, Christina; Bryant, Ashley Leak; Phillips, Brett;
Bailey, Charlotte; Shields, Edgar W.; Battaglini, Claudio.

Biological Research for Nursing, July 2016, Vol. 18 Issue: Number 4 p432-438, 7p;

Abstract: Introduction:  Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), the
gold standard of cardiopulmonary evaluation, is used to determine
VO2 levels at different aerobic exercise training intensities; however,
it may not be feasible to conduct CPET in all clinical settings.

Aims:
To compare the heart rate reserve (HRR) and percent of 220-age methods
for prescribing cycle ergometry exercise intensity using heart rate
(HR) against the HRs obtained during a CPET in adults undergoing
treatment for acute leukemia (AL).Methods:  In this exploratory study,
part of a larger randomized controlled trial, 14 adults with AL
completed CPET on a cycle ergometer with indirect calorimetry within 96
hr of admission to a cancer hospital to determine VO2peakand HR
corresponding to low (40% VO2peak), moderate (60% VO2peak), and high
(75% VO2peak) exercise intensities. Analyses of variance were used to
compare estimated HR for each intensity level using the HRR and percent
of 220-age methods with HR determined via VO2peak.Results:  HR
corresponding to low-intensity exercise differed significantly across
all three methods (p≤ .05). No significant differences were observed
between HR estimated via the percent of 220-age method and determined
via VO2peakat moderate (100 ± 8 and 113 ± 24 bpm, p= .122) or high
intensities (125 ± 10 and 123 ± 25 bpm, p= .994).

Conclusion:  In adults
with AL, HR-based methods for defining aerobic exercise intensities
should be used with caution. At low intensity, neither should be used,
while at moderate and high intensities, the percent of 220-age equation
might serve as an adequate substitute for CPET.