Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in children following surgery for tetralogy of Fallot
T. L. Tomassoni, F. M. Galioto Jr and P. Vaccaro
Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Georgetown University Children's Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007-2197.
The purpose of this study was to compare the cardiopulmonary responses at
rest and during exercise of children following surgical correction of
tetralogy of Fallot. The physiologic measurements assessed at rest and
during maximal treadmill exercise included diffusing capacity of the lung
for carbon monoxide, heart rate, oxygen consumption, minute ventilation,
and cardiac output. Twenty children with repaired tetralogy of Fallot
served as the study group, and 20 normal boys and girls served as controls.
Subjects with tetralogy of Fallot had significantly lower values than those
of control subjects for maximal cardiac output and somewhat lower values
for diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide and heart rate. We
conclude that the exercise cardiac function of children with surgically
corrected tetralogy of Fallot is somewhat diminished compared with that of
control children. This information is necessary to establish safe, yet
effective exercise guidelines for this select population.
