Repeated bouts of submaximal exercise are an important part of most pulmonary rehabilitation programmes. Patients with moderate-to-severe cystic fibrosis (CF) often demonstrate oxygen desaturation during submaximal exercise, which may limit their ability to participate in these programmes. This study examines whether arterial desaturation contributes to submaximal exercise limitation by testing...

In 20 patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery, heart rate and arterial oxygen saturation were monitored continuously during the night 2 days before operation and during the first and second nights after operation (23:00 to 07:30). Mean heart rate increased by 16 beat min-1 (P less than 0.0006) and mean oxygen saturation decreased by 3.2% (P less than 0.0002) after operation. Four p...

Objective—To evaluate the possible effects of paraquat spraying among workers on deciduous fruit farms in the Western Cape, South Africa. Paraquat is a commonly used herbicide world wide and is a well documented cause of pulmonary fibrosis in studies of laboratory animals and in humans after exposure to a high dose (usually accidental or as parasuicide). The respiratory eVects of long term, low...

Background and Purpose—Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is a common sleep disorder in stroke patients and is associated with decreased recovery and increased risk of recurrent stroke and mortality. The standard diagnostic test for SAS is poly(somno)graphy, but this is often not feasible in stroke rehabilitation settings. This study investigated the diagnostic value of nocturnal oximetry for screening...