Cardiorespiratory fitness, respiratory function and hemodynamic responses to maximal cycle ergometer exercise test in girls and boys aged 9–11 years: the PANIC Study

Purpose We aimed to provide comprehensive data on and reference values for cardiorespiratory fitness, respiratory function and hemodynamic responses during and after maximal cycle ergometer test in children. Methods The participants were a population sample of 140 children (69 girls) aged 9–11 years. Heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were measured from pre-exercise rest to the end of recovery. Respiratory gases were measured directly by the breath-by-breath method. Peak workload, HR changes, peak oxygen uptake ( V O 2 ), peak oxygen pulse (O 2 pulse), peak respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and the lowest ratio of ventilation and carbon dioxide output (VE/ V CO 2 ) during the exercise test in girls and boys were presented according to their distributions in 5 categories. Results HR decreased more during 4-min recovery in boys than in girls (76 vs. 67 beats/min, p