Assessment of functional capacity in clinical and research settings: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association committee on exercise, rehabilitation, and prevention of the council on clinical cardiology and the council on cardiovascular nursing

In summary, the measurement of functional capacity provides a valuable tool for diagnosis, treatment, and prognostic assessment in a wide variety of settings. The specific aspects of testing such as the mode of exercise, protocol, end point, and analysis of respiratory gases are highly dependent on the population being tested and the questions being addressed. Regardless of these specifics and despite the many recent advances in cardiac imaging, functional capacity assessment remains an important procedure.