%0 Journal Article
%T Importance of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing amongst Subjects Recovering from COVID-19.
%A Dorelli G
%A Braggio M
%A Gabbiani D
%A Busti F
%A Caminati M
%A Senna G
%A Girelli D
%A Laveneziana P
%A Ferrari M
%A Sartori G
%A Dalle Carbonare L
%A Crisafulli E
%A On Behalf Of The Respicovid Study Investigators 
%J Diagnostics (Basel)
%V 11
%N 3
%D Mar 2021 12
%M 33809260
%F 3.992
%R 10.3390/diagnostics11030507
%X The cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) provides an objective assessment of ventilatory limitation, related to the exercise minute ventilation (VE) coupled to carbon dioxide output (VCO2) (VE/VCO2); high values of VE/VCO2 slope define an exercise ventilatory inefficiency (EVin). In subjects recovered from hospitalised COVID-19, we explored the methodology of CPET in order to evaluate the presence of cardiopulmonary alterations. Our prospective study (RESPICOVID) has been proposed to evaluate pulmonary damage's clinical impact in post-COVID subjects. In a subgroup of subjects (RESPICOVID2) without baseline confounders, we performed the CPET. According to the VE/VCO2 slope, subjects were divided into having EVin and exercise ventilatory efficiency (EVef). Data concerning general variables, hospitalisation, lung function, and gas-analysis were also collected. The RESPICOVID2 enrolled 28 subjects, of whom 8 (29%) had EVin. As compared to subjects with EVef, subjects with EVin showed a reduction in heart rate (HR) recovery. VE/VCO2 slope was inversely correlated with HR recovery; this correlation was confirmed in a subgroup of older, non-smoking male subjects, regardless of the presence of arterial hypertension. More than one-fourth of subjects recovered from hospitalised COVID-19 have EVin. The relationship between EVin and HR recovery may represent a novel hallmark of post-COVID cardiopulmonary alterations.