Ventilatory efficiency during exercise: a tribute to Brian J. Whipp
Symposium Chairs: P. Palange (Rome, Italy), P. Laveneziana (Paris, France)
Aims: The audience will gain state-of-the-art knowledge of the recent advances in the field of the ventilatory response to exercise with emphasis on: reviewing the role of ventilatory-and gas exchange-related factors in limiting exercise in healthy and chronic lung and heart diseases; discussing the utility of the ventilatory efficiency index (VE/VCO2 slope) in the evaluation of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions in chronic lung and heart diseases; highlighting the emerging importance of the ventilatory efficiency index (VE/VCO2 slope) in the prognostic setting in chronic lung and heart diseases; and identifying current discrepancies between resting pulmonary function measurements and dynamic cardiopulmonary exercise variables such as the VE/VCO2 slope in assessing disease severity and response to pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, and predicting mortality/survival, exacerbation and deterioration of the underlying chronic lung and/or heart disease.