Many physiology labs use the Parvo Medics TrueOne 2400 metabolic measurement device to measure VO2 peak. This device is one of the most reliable methods of measuring oxygen consumption during exercise but is also very expensive. There are more affordable devices which also measure VO2 peak but their validity may be questionable.
PURPOSE: This study sought to determine the validity of VO2 peak measurement using the CardioCoach device compared to the Parvo Medics device. If the results are similar then use of the CardioCoach to determine an accurate measurement of VO2 peak is a viable alternative.
METHODS: VO2 peak of five young athletic individuals (aged 22.4 +/3.3 y) were tested on the Parvo Medics (Sandy, UT) and CardioCoach CO2 (KORR Medical Technologies, Salt Lake City, UT) devices. The same test protocol (1min increments) was used for both tests. Tests were separated by one week and subjects were asked to refrain from strenuous activity the day before
each test. Dependent tests were used to analyze mean differences between subjects for each device at the p2 peak of the Parvo Medics device was 39.4 +/62.4ml/kg/min while the CardioCoach was 40.5 +/65.1ml/kg/min (p>0.722).
CONCLUSION: Based on the results, there is statistical evidence to conclude that the two devices produce similar VO2 peak values, meaning that the CardioCoach CO2 is a valid method to test VO2 peak. Future studies, however, should replicate this study with more subjects to improve statistical power.
Authors
N King, Oregon State University Cascades, Bend, OR
A Leet, Oregon State University Cascades, Bend, OR
J McDonald, Oregon State University Cascades, Bend, OR
C Conti, Oregon State University Cascades, Bend, OR
C Pitkin, Central Oregon Community College, Bend, OR
C Pollard, Oregon State University Cascades, Bend, OR
K Witzke, Oregon State University Cascades, Bend, OR