[Exercise test before prosthesis fitting in amputees with vascular insufficiency].

93 subjects (age = 65 +/- 10 years) with lower limb amputation ensuing from peripheral vascular disease performed a graded exercise test on arm cranking ergometer with an electromagnetic braking to assess their physical fitness and cardiac condition before starting a prosthetic training programme. The protocol was continuous with a workload increment of 10 watts every two minutes. Heart rate, blood pressure and ECG were recorded at each stage. Reasons to stop the test were 1) arm muscle fatigue, 2) reaching of target heart rate, 3) cardiovascular abnormalities. At the end of the test, the mean percentage of maximum heart rate was 53%, 92%, and 66% for each of these reasons, respectively (p less than .0001). Results showed that subjects who received a prosthesis had a higher exercise capacity than those who did not get a prosthesis (39.0 watts vs 18.5 watts, p less than 0.001). Furthermore, maximal oxygen uptake (4.4 METs vs 3.0 METs, p less than 0.001) and reached maximal heart rate (131 vs 110 bpm, p less than .005) were both higher in subjects of prosthesis group. Results suggest that a graded exercise test at the beginning of prosthetic training allows a rehabilitation team 1) to predict the success of the prosthetic process and 2) to identify subjects for which this process could increase the risks of health problems.