Cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate response following the Westminster MyAction programme

Abstract

Introduction: Improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with better health outcomes. The Chester step test (CST) is used to assess the changes in CRF following a protocol-driven cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programme (CPRP) entitled MyAction. CRF expressed as predicted VO2max, can be influenced by physiological adaptations and/or retest familiarity-efficiency. Therefore, we employed an index ratio between oxygen uptake and heart rate (O2 pulse) to determine if the improvement in CRF is related to a true physiological adaptation. Methods: 169 patients, mean age 66.8 ± 7.3 years attended a 12 week MyAction CPRP. All were assessed using the CST on the initial and end of programme assessment. O2 pulse was estimated from the CST and was calculated by dividing VO2 into the exercise heart rate multiplied by 100. Results: Following the CPRP, VO2max increased by 2.8 ml/kg/min. These changes were associated with an overall increase in O2 pulse by 0.6 ml/beat (p=<0.001) and a 4.1 beats/min (p=<0.001) reduction in the exercise HR response on the CST. Conclusions: O2 pulse provides transparency on the physiological adaptations following a CPRP and can be used to help patients recognise the benefits of exercise training. For example, the average patient increased his/her O2 pulse by 0.6 ml/beats and saved 4-7 heart-beats on the CST.