Mechanical ventilatory constraints in aging, lung disease, and obesity: perspectives and brief review

One of the most difficult tasks of cardiopulmonary exercise testing is to d etermine the influence of ventilatory limitations on the ventilatory respon se to exercise. Currently there is no generally accepted method in which to quantify the magnitude of mechanical ventilatory constraints during exerci se. Nor is there agreement on how to quantify maximal ventilatory capacity. To address these issues, this article focuses on the evaluation of mechani cal ventilatory constraints during exercise and provides an overview of the mechanical ventilatory constraints that are encountered with aging, lung d isease, and obesity.