CPET
Sophisticated Technology for the Detection of Coronary Microvascular Disease
The cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is the gold standard for exercise prescription. CPET is a noninvasive stress test that assesses how well the heart, lungs, and muscles are working together and individually. Any condition or disease that affects the heart, lungs, or muscles may cause shortness of breath, exercise intolerance, or chest pain.
The CPET assesses the full cardiopulmonary system during exercise by measuring the amount of oxygen the patient’s body is using and amount of carbon dioxide it is producing, as well as monitoring the patient’s breathing pattern and electrical activity of the heart while the patient is riding a stationary bicycle.
The traditional treadmill stresses a patient using ECG and the treadmill. It is typically used to detect large vessel disease whereas CPET can detect large and small coronary microvascular disease (MVD).
Also called small vessel disease, coronary MVD is one of the most common causes of heart disease in women. CPET can pinpoint whether the problem is in the heart, lungs, or muscles and can identify many more conditions than an ECG.
Coronary MVD is almost impossible to detect with the current diagnostic tools cardiologists use today, like a treadmill stress test, SPECT, or nuclear camera. By using algorithms and mathematic formulas, CPET has a high rate of success in identifying coronary MVD, but detection is only a start.
Coronary MVD needs to be imaged to determine the severity of the damage it has caused the patient’s heart. Cardiac PET offers the physician the most efficient and effective solution to this problem.
Benefits of CPET
The benefits of offering CPET in your practice are clear:
- Highly successful in detecting coronary MVD
- Can determine whether the problem is in the heart, lungs, or muscles
- Can identify many more conditions than an ECG or treadmill stress test
- Helpful in monitoring changes in a patient’s disease condition
- Useful in determining if medical therapy is improving a patient’s diagnosis
Cardio Health Solutions can provide pulmonary function tests, fully functional CPETs including stationary bicycle or treadmill, face mask ECG, antique microbial filter, blood pressure cuff, and pulse oximetry. Since CHS is a turnkey operation, there are no other requirements for the group's partners.
For more information about the cardiopulmonary exercise test and how it can be applied to your practice, call Cardio Health Solutions at (800) 578-0654 or complete our online contact form and we will respond to you promptly.
