How valuable is cardiopulmonary exercise testing in patients with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery?

Excerpt

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) refers to the ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to skeletal muscles during sustained physical activity [1]. Low levels of CRF are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, to an extent that this risk exceeds that due to smoking, diabetes and hypertension [2]. Exercise capacity (EC) is the maximum amount of physical exertion that an individual can sustain [3]. Poor EC is a more powerful predictor of mortality than other established cardiovascular disease risk factors [4]. Hence, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that patients with chronic conditions undergo regular assessments of CRF and EC via cardiopulmonary exercise testing, which is considered to be the gold-standard tool for this purpose [5]. …