Using rating of perceived exertion in assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in endometrial cancer survivors.
Daniel C Hughes, Matthew G Cox, Susan Serice and 3 others
PMID 28820332WHAT IT FOUND
Perceived exertion and heart rate gave similar estimated cardiorespiratory fitness in endometrial cancer survivors not taking beta-blockers.
In those taking beta-blockers, heart-rate estimates were higher, but the difference approached significance.
Key findings
01Of 93 analysed participants, 70 were not taking beta-blockers and 23 were taking beta-blockers; the beta-blocker group had lower resting heart rate (64.5 versus 72.5 bpm, p < 0.001).
02In participants not taking beta-blockers, the heart-rate estimate and perceived-exertion estimate of VO2max were 20.4 and 19.3 mlO2/kg/min, respectively, and did not differ significantly (p = 0.166).
03In participants taking beta-blockers, peak heart rate was lower (112.2 versus 130.9 bpm, p < 0.001), and the heart-rate estimate and perceived-exertion estimate of VO2max were 21.7 and 17.6 mlO2/kg/min, respectively, with the difference approaching significance (p = .087).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study did not include a true maximal exercise test, so it cannot determine which estimate was more accurate. Almost all participants were new to the Borg perceived exertion scale, so their ratings may not have been anchored accurately. Participants had low cardiorespiratory capacity and spent a relatively short time in the exercise phase. This left fewer data points for the estimates. The study was a secondary analysis of baseline data from a parent study, and VO2max was not the parent study's main endpoint. The beta-blocker subgroup was small compared with the non-beta-blocker subgroup. Some enrolled participants could not complete the exercise test at adequate intensity.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that perceived exertion is proven more accurate than heart rate for beta-blocker users. The study did not compare either estimate with a true maximal VO2max, and the difference between estimates in the beta-blocker group approached significance.