Assessment of Functional Capacity in Clinical and Research Settings

The assessment of functional capacity reflects the ability to perform activities of daily living that require sustained aerobic metabolism. The integrated efforts and health of the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and skeletal muscle systems dictate an individual’s functional capacity. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that the assessment of functional capacity provides important diagnostic and prognostic information in a wide variety of clinical and research settings. This scientific statement, an update of the previously published American Heart Association (AHA) document, highlights the major clinical and research applications of functional capacity assessment. For a comprehensive review of exercise testing, the reader is referred to the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/AHA Guidelines for Exercise Testing./.../