Cardiopulmonary exercise capacity and limitations 3 months after COVID-19 hospitalisation

Background This study aimed to describe cardiopulmonary function during exercise 3 months after hospital discharge for COVID-19 and compare groups according to dyspnoea and intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Methods Participants with COVID-19 discharged from five large Norwegian hospitals were consecutively invited to a multicentre, prospective cohort study. In total, 156 participants (mean age 56.2 years, 60 females) were examined with a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) 3 months after discharge and compared with a reference population. Dyspnoea was assessed using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnoea scale. Results Peak oxygen uptake (V′O2 peak)