Bruce protocol

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John - 26 Nov 2008 19:33 GMT

Hi, I had a treadmill test today but could only just complete stage 4
of the bruce protocol (1,2,3,4). I complained of shortness of breath
and the test was stopped. Age 54 years, all blood pressures were normal
and HR was 148 at the end with a target somewhere in the 150's i think.

My question is, is it normal to be short of breath at the end of stage 4?

I could have gone on to stage 5 but I wasn't going to bust a gut for them.

Thanks

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Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD - 26 Nov 2008 21:30 GMT

>Hi, I had a treadmill test today but could only just complete stage 4
>of the bruce protocol (1,2,3,4).

That would be 12 minutes of walking on a treadmill.

> I complained of shortness of breath
>and the test was stopped. Age 54 years, all blood pressures were normal
>and HR was 148 at the end with a target somewhere in the 150's i think.

Target (85% of predicted max of 166) would have been 141 so you
reached and exceeded target.

>My question is, is it normal to be short of breath at the end of stage 4?

Depends on how your lungs sounded on auscultation with a stethoscope
and how your heart's electrical tracings looked on the EKGs.

>I could have gone on to stage 5 but I wasn't going to bust a gut for them.
>
>Thanks

Laus Deo :-)

http://HeartMDPhD.com/LausDeo

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Teg_deffuts - 26 Nov 2008 22:01 GMT

> Hi, I had a treadmill test today but could only just complete stage 4
> of the bruce protocol (1,2,3,4). I complained of shortness of breath
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Thanks

Hi John
I have had several treadmill tests using the Bruce protocol, I have
always ignored the levels as I am to busy trying to survive the test and
went on time, the best I ever done was years ago and that was was 14
minutes and by that time I was near jogging, now some ten years on from
my heart attack I can only manage 8-9 minutes.
I'm not sure what's normal or what isn't but I do know that I am
screaming for breath by the end of the test.
BTW, my HR target used to be 180.
Teg

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John - 27 Nov 2008 09:17 GMT

> Hi, I had a treadmill test today but could only just complete stage 4 of
> the bruce protocol (1,2,3,4). I complained of shortness of breath and the
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Thanks

Thanks for the replies

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Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD - 27 Nov 2008 09:22 GMT

> Thanks for the replies

Laus Deo :-)

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http://groups.google.com/group/sci.med.cardiology/msg/3558812d72ab4e17?

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