Effect of Ascending an Ordinary Flight of Stairs on the Work of the Heart

Observations of cardiac work were made in normal persons and in patients with coronary heart disease after ascending an ordinary staircase at various rates of speed. Cardiac output was calculated from records obtained with the low frequency, critically-damped ballistocardiograph. The results were compared, for statistical significance, with those noted following descent and after walking for an equivalent distance on the level. It appears that the compensated coronary patient can mount a flight of stairs leisurely without imposing a greatly increased burden of work on the heart. The optimal rate of ascent usually is the one chosen by the individual.