International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open Access

ISSN: 2329-9096

+44 1300 500008

Abstract

The University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute Treadmill Protocol Accurately Measures VO2 peak in Cancer Survivors

Daniel Yoon Kee Shackelford, Jessica Marlene Brown, Brent Michael Peterson, Jay Schaffer and Reid Hayward

Utilizing protocols to obtain peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) that were designed for the apparently health population may be inappropriate for cancer survivors (CS). The University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute (UNCCRI) has developed a treadmill protocol designed for CS to address this issue.
Objective: To assess the construct validity of VO2peak prediction equations for the UNCCRI multistage treadmill protocol against obtained VO2peak values in a population of CS.
Methods: Forty-five CS completed the UNCCRI VO2peak treadmill protocol utilizing gas analysis (GAS) to obtain a true VO2peak value. A VO2peak value was also estimated from the gas analysis test (EstGAS) using American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) prediction equations. Additionally, a separate UNCCRI treadmill protocol not using gas analysis (NoGAS) was conducted using ACSM VO2 prediction equations to determine VO2peak. An ANOVA was used to compare GAS, EstGAS, and NoGAS to assess the validity of the prediction equations versus the VO2peak obtained from gas analysis. A paired t-test was utilized to compare treadmill times between GAS and NoGAS to assess differences attributed to the use of gas analysis. A Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between GAS and EstGAS VO2 peak values.
Results: VO2 peak (mL•kg-1•min-1) did not significantly differ between GAS (26.8+7.0), EstGAS (26.2+6.5), and NoGAS (27.1+6.5) (P=0.2). Total treadmill time (min) differed significantly between GAS (12.1+2.8) and NoGAS (12.6+3.0; P<0.05). A significant, strong positive correlation was observed in VO2peak values between GAS and EstGAS (r=0.9; P<0.001).
Conclusion: The UNCCRI treadmill protocol accurately predicts VO2peak when using gas analysis and when used with ACSM’s prediction equations demonstrating its construct validity. The UNCCRI treadmill protocol offers a safe and alternative measure of VO2peak for the cancer population.

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