Cardiovascular Fitness Procedures Manual

3.11 Procedure if SP is Unable to Adhere to the Protocol

„ Some people may not be able to walk on the treadmill without holding onto the

handrails. The technologist should give the SP further instructions and

encouragement. SPs are allowed to hold onto the handrail during Warm-up until they

get accustomed to walking on the treadmill. The technologist should encourage SPs to

remove their hands one at a time. During the treadmill test they are allowed to lightly

touch the handrail with a finger, but they should not be grasping the handrail with

their fingers or hands. If they are unable to do this, the test will not be valid.

„ Some of the instructions that you may give to help the SP get accustomed to walking

on the treadmill include reminding him or her to stand up straight, to keep his or her

head up and look straight ahead, and to take longer steps.

„ If the SP is still unable to adhere to the protocol, press GO TO RECOVERY on the

ISIS screen.

„ The system will record the time in the current stage.

„ The system will reset the timer for 00:00 for Recovery.

„ The system will give an auditory message:

“Change treadmill controller to Recovery Stage for current protocol”

„ Change the setting on the treadmill controller by pressing NEXT STAGE until the

Recovery stage is reached.

„ The SP will go through the Recovery Stages 1 and 2.

„ After the Recovery stages are completed, the system will go to the Priority 2 Stopping

Criteria.

„ Select “Unable to stop gripping handrails.”

„ System will then go to Component Status screen. The component status will be set at

“Partial.” Select “Unable to follow protocol” as the comment.

3.12 Procedure to Change Predicted Exercise Protocol

The goal of the predetermined exercise protocol is to elicit a heart rate that is approximately

75 percent of the predicted maximum heart rate (PMHR) by the end of the treadmill test. This goal is

expected to be achieved gradually by stages: to elicit a HR response that is approximately 50 to 60

percent of PMHR during the Warm-up stage, then to elicit a HR response that is approximately 60 to 75