Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in COVID-19 patients at 3 months follow-up

Abstract Background Long-term effects of Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and their sustainability are of the utmost relevance. For the chronic phase, the main concerns are the development of pulmonary interstitial disease and/or lingering cardiovascular involvement. How to intercept, assess, and treat these patients with long-term consequences of COVID-19 remains uncertain. Purpose We aimed to determine: 1) functional capacity of COVID-19 survivors by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET); 2) those characteristics associated with CPET performance; 3) safety and tolerability of CPET. Methods We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 discharged…