Lung function testing and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (spiroergometry) in Balatonfüred

When is a lung function test advisable?

A lung function test may be recommended, among other things:

• for persistent or recurring shortness of breath;
• for a persistent cough;
• for breathlessness on exertion;
• for wheezing or chest tightness;
• to monitor known asthma or COPD;
• for respiratory symptoms in smokers;
• to check the effectiveness of treatment for lung disease;
• as part of a pre-operative assessment;
• before starting sport, if respiratory symptoms or reduced exercise capacity are present.

The test result alone does not always provide a definitive diagnosis. The respiratory specialist evaluates the values together with your symptoms, the physical examination and, if necessary, other test results.

What is exercise lung function testing (spiroergometry)?

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (spiroergometry) examines the body’s complex response to physical exercise. Unlike resting lung function tests, it shows not only how the lungs work at rest but also how the lungs, the heart and blood vessels, circulation, oxygen transport and skeletal muscles work together during exercise.

During the test, breathing and circulation are monitored continuously while the physical load is gradually increased. The measured parameters may include oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, minute ventilation, breathing volumes, pulse, ECG, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, maximum physical performance, and ventilatory and exercise thresholds.

One of the key results of the test is VO₂max, which shows how much oxygen the body can take up, transport and use during maximal physical exercise. It is one of the most important objective measures of cardiorespiratory fitness.

When is cardiopulmonary exercise testing (spiroergometry) recommended?

Exercise lung function testing can be particularly useful:

• for shortness of breath on exertion or of unknown origin;
• to investigate unusual fatigue and reduced physical performance;
• if exercise capacity deteriorates significantly when walking, climbing stairs or playing sport;
• to determine functional status in known chronic lung disease;
• in COPD;
• for planning pulmonary rehabilitation;
• for risk assessment before major surgery;
• for functional assessment before lung surgery;
• in heart failure, to assess exercise capacity and risk;
• to measure athletes’ performance objectively;
• to assess the exercise capacity of people starting sport;
• to help determine personalised training zones and training intensity;
• to investigate reduced exercise capacity or shortness of breath persisting after an infection.

An important advantage of spiroergometry is that it can help clarify whether exercise capacity is limited mainly by respiratory, circulatory or other functional factors.

What can we learn from the results of spiroergometry?

Spiroergometry does not give a single measurement but analyses the whole physiological response to exercise. Among other things, it can determine maximal oxygen uptake, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical performance, the ventilatory response to exercise, breathing reserve, the pulse and circulatory response to exercise, and the exercise zones that can be used to set the optimal training intensity.

Where exercise capacity is reduced, the results can also help to judge whether the main limiting factor is respiratory, cardiovascular or peripheral, for example muscular.

Spiroergometry for athletes

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is not only for investigating illness. In healthy people who exercise regularly or are starting sport, it provides an objective measure of physical performance and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Knowing your VO₂max and exercise thresholds can help determine your current fitness level, plan individual training intensity, refine training zones, track the results of a training programme and avoid excessive or inappropriate training loads. The result should always be interpreted in the light of age, fitness level, sport and individual goals.

When can the exercise test not be performed?

Spiroergometry is a controlled exercise test carried out under medical supervision, but there are conditions in which the test must be postponed or other care is needed. These include, among others, an acute feverish or respiratory infection, severe shortness of breath even at rest, new or unstable chest pain, a recent serious cardiovascular event, significant untreated arrhythmia, and musculoskeletal conditions that do not allow safe exercise. The specialist always decides whether the test can be performed.