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Effect of intravenous antibiotics on exercise tolerance (3‐min step test)) in cystic fibrosis *
Author(s) -
Pike Sarah E.,
Prasad S. Ammani,
BalfourLynn Ian M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.1086
Subject(s) - medicine , cystic fibrosis , heart rate , oxygen saturation , lung function , anesthesia , metabolic equivalent , surgery , cardiology , lung , blood pressure , physical therapy , physical activity , oxygen , chemistry , organic chemistry
Most children with cystic fibrosis (CF) feel better and display more energy after a course of intravenous antibiotics (IVABs), but this is not always reflected by a satisfactory improvement in lung function. We assessed the change in exercise tolerance after treatment with IVABs usingthe 3‐min step test, and compared it with changes in spirometric lung function and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO 2 ). Thirty‐six children (mean age, 13.8 years) were enrolled from two tertiary CF centers during an inpatient stay for IVABs. After 10–14 days of treatment, there was a significant improvement in median FEV 1 from 43% to 57% of predicted values ( P < 0.0001), and median FVC from 66% to 73% of predicted values ( P < 0.0001), while median SaO 2 significantly increased from 95% to 96.5% ( P < 0.05). This was accompanied by a reduction in resting heart rate (median 118 bpm to 109 bpm, P < 0.005) and subjective breathlessness at rest (median visual analogue score 2.2 to 0.8, P < 0.005). All outcomes of exercise tolerance were improved after IVABs. There was a reduction in maximum heart rate (median 156 bpm to 150 bpm, P < 0.05) and an increase in minimum SaO 2 (median 93.5% to 94.5%, P = 0.08) measured during the step test. There was also a reduction in subjective breathlessness (median visualanalogue score of 5.5 to 4.2, P < 0.005) and objective breathlessness (median 15‐count score of 3 to 2, P < 0.0001) measured immediately after the step test. Exercise testing was a useful outcome measure for monitoring effectiveness of inpatient therapy, and complemented spirometry and SaO 2 monitoring. The simple ward‐based 3‐min step test was found to be a particularly suitable method for measuring changes in exercise tolerance in childrenwith CF. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2001; 32:38–43. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.