Details for 'FitMáx Evaluation in Chronic Heart Failure'

Background: Peak oxygen uptake (VO_2peak), assessed by maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In clinical practice, the use of CPET is often not feasible or desirable in (older) frail patients.¹ In the last decades, several exercise and non-exercise-based algorithms to predict VO_2peak were evaluated.² These prediction models are less accurate than CPET, yet easily accessible and applicable.³ Overall, reviews showed low to moderate correlation for non-exercise algorithms [r = 0.66–0.86, and SEE (standard error of estimate) 3.82–7.31 mL/kg/min] and submaximal exercise-based algorithms (r = 0.21–0.70, and SEE 2.50–4.43) in a healthy population.^2,4,5 However, elderly patients with chronic diseases were typically excluded in the development and validation of these models.⁶ The current study aimed to investigate the accuracy of two self-reported questionnaires to predict VO_2peak in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients; the FitMáx^©-questionnaire (hereafter FitMáx) (see Supplementary material online for the full English version),⁷ and The Fitness Calculator (HFC),⁸ the latter is currently advised in healthy men and women by the American Heart Association.²