Metabolic cost of external work: a novel CPET parameter optimises characterisation of exercise performance in obese individuals.

Purpose: Both obesity and cardiorespiratory fitness are crucial determinants of symptoms and prognosis. However, interpreting the gold-standard cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is complicated by increasing body size and varying body composition. We hypothesised that the 'metabolic cost of external work' (or oxygen uptake (ml/min)/workload (Watts); V̇O/W), a body weight-independent determinant of endurance capacity, would reflect metabolic health more accurately than V̇O alone.

Temporal Spatial and Metabolic Measures of Walking in Highly Functional Individuals With Lower Limb Amputations.

Objective: To record the temporal spatial parameters and metabolic energy expenditure during walking of individuals with amputation, walking with advanced prostheses, and after completion of comprehensive rehabilitation compared with able-bodied persons.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Multidisciplinary comprehensive rehabilitation center.