Analysis of oxygen uptake dynamics during the Glittre ADL test in patients with moderate and severe COPD

Abstract

Introduction: COPD is responsible for generating great disability with important social and economic impact. In this respect, it`s important to study instruments for the evaluation of this population, especially regarding their functional capacity, since it`s related to mortality and quality of life. The ADL-Glittre Test was developed to evaluate the functional status of COPD patients, but there are still gaps in relation to the different activities performed during the test regarding metabolic consumption. Objective: To evaluate which activities contained in T-Glittre generate greater oxygen consumption. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 75 laps of T-Glittre were analyzed from 15 patients with moderate to severe COPD. Participants were submitted to CPET, pulmonary function tests, T-Glittre with monitoring of exhaled ventilatory gases and filming. Results: The task that consumed the highest oxygen consumption was the one related to the movements performed in the shelf activity where VO2 was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001). The oxygen consumption increases up to the fourth lap and then reaches a plateau, in other words, the VO2 of laps 3, 4 and 5 is statistically different from VO2 of the laps 1 and 2 (P <0.05) and the time spent on each lap was similar from the second lap, and the statistical difference (P <0.05) occurred only when compared to the first lap with the others. Conclusion: The activities performed on the shelf during T-Glittre are the ones that generate the greatest metabolic demand for patients with moderate to severe COPD, and even though they reach peak oxygen consumption up to the fourth lap, they maintain the exercise rhythm indicating that there is physiological adaptation in order to keep the intensity of tolerable effort, so that they can continue the activity.