Exercise testing on a treadmill was performed in 15 patients with peripheral vascular disease to determine the pattern of oxygen consumption during exercise. A plateau in the oxygen consumption over the final 90 s of exercise was used as a criterion for maximal effort and only 4 out of 15 (27%) obtained a plateau of oxygen consumption compared to 20 out of 26 (77%) normal subjects (χ² 7.9, p < 0.005). These findings may account for the limited value of exercise testing in detecting coronary artery disease in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

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