EXERCISE PERFORMANCE AND VENTILATORY EFFICIENCY IN PATIENTS WITH MILD AND MODERATE LIVER CIRRHOSIS

SUMMARY 1 The impact of ventilatory efficiency on reduced exercise capacity and recovery oxygen kinetics has not been addressed in cirrhotic patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate exercise performance and ventilatory efficiency in patients with mild and moderate liver cirrhosis (LC). 2 Nineteen male non‐hypoxic patients with LC (age 51.3 ± 9.1 years; body mass index (BMI) 25.6 ± 3.6 kg/m2) classified by the Child‐Pugh score as class A (n = 7) and class B (n = 12) and 19 age‐ and BMI‐matched controls participated in the study. Subjects undertook maximal incremental exercise testing on a treadmill using the Bruce protocol. 3 Patients with LC showed a reduced diffusion capacity (DL,CO%) compared with controls (74.6 ± 15.2 vs 95.6 ± 12.9%, respectively; P