IJCS | Volume 32, Nº4, July/August 2019

DOI: 10.5935/2359-4802.20190052 Maximal oxygen uptake is a powerful prognostic indicator and a reliablemeasure of physical conditioning. It can be measured directly by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) or indirectly by formulas derived from conventional protocols. We compared the VO 2 max obtained by formula using exercise testing with Bruce protocol (BP) with the VO 2 max obtained by CPET on the treadmill. We selected 41 healthy, non-obese, physically inactive young volunteers, aged between 21 and 50 years, residents of Florianópolis, Brazil. Twenty-one women (52%) with mean age of 35.62 ± 8.83 years, and 20 males, with mean age of 32.5 ± 7.18 years participated in the 362 ORIGINAL ARTICLE International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 2019;32(4):362-367 Mailing Address: Pablo de Souza Instituto de Cardiologia de Santa Catarina - Residência Cardiologia - Rua Adolfo Donato da Silva, s/n. Postal code: 88103-901, Florianopólis, Santa Catarina, SC – Brazil. E-mail: pablocardiologia@gmail.com Comparative Analysis of Direct and Indirect Methods for the Determination of Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Sedentary Young Adults Alfredo Moreira da R och a Neto, 3 Artur Had dad Herdy, 1,2 Pablo de Souza 1,2 Instituto de Cardiologia de Santa Catarina, 1 Florianópolis, SC – Brazil Clínica Cardiosport, 2 Florianópolis, SC – Brazil Hemovida - Instituto de Intervenção Cardiovascular, 3 Campo Grande, MS - Brazil Manuscript received February 18, 2019; revised manuscript April 04, 2019; accepted April 21, 2019. Abstract Background: Maximal oxygen uptake is a powerful prognostic indicator and a reliable measure of physical conditioning. It can be measured directly by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) or indirectly by formulas derived from conventional protocols. Objective: We compared the VO 2 max obtained by formula using exercise testing with Bruce protocol (BP) with the VO 2 max obtained by CPET on the treadmill. Methods: We selected 41 healthy, non-obese, physically inactive young volunteers, aged between 21 and 50 years, residents of Florianópolis, Brazil. Results: Twenty-one women (52%) with mean age of 35.62 ± 8.83 years, and 20 males, with mean age of 32.5 ± 7.18 years participated in the study. Statistically significant differences were found for VO 2 max between the two methods (BP - 42.31 ± 5.21 ml/kg.min vs. CPET - 30.46 ± 5.50 ml/kg.min., p < 0.0001). The Bruce formula overestimated the result by 34.1% (BP - 45.95 ± 3.94 ml/kg.min vs. CPX - 34.27 ± 4.20 ml/kg.min, p < 0.0001) for men, and by 44.8% (BP - 38.84 ± 3.72 ml/kg.min vs. CPX - 26.83 ± 3.90, p < 0.0001) for women. A moderate correlation was observed between the methods (r = 0.65). When classifying the results according to the table of aerobic capacity of the American Heart Association, the agreement was null (kappa = 0.0034; Pearson chi2 = 0.001). Conclusion: VO 2 estimated by BP is not capable of demonstrating the true aerobic capacity in these individuals, while CPET is an important tool for early detection of diminished functional capacity in sedentary young men and women. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2019;32(4):362-367) Keywords: Cardiovascular Diseases; Exercise Test; Oxygen Consumption; Adolescent; Physical Fitness; Sedentarism. Pablo de Souza Instituto de Cardiologia de Santa Catarina Clínica Cardiosport pablocardiologia@gmail.com