Computerized detection of the lactate threshold in coronary artery disease.

A computer program for identifying oxygen consumption at the lactate threshold was evaluated by expired gas analysis during treadmill exercise testing in 15 patients with prior myocardial infarction. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.85, p less than 0.001) between computer-identified oxygen consumption (14.1 +/- 4.6 ml/kg/min) and the oxygen consumption (14.6 +/- 4.8 ml/kg/min) corresponding to an increase of arterial lactate level to above the normal value at rest (1.3 mM). The computer program was superior to previously described visual methods for identifying the ventilatory threshold.