Bruce protocol

Bruce Treadmill Protocol data:

Stage	Time (min)	Speed (mph)	Grade	METs
I	3	1.7	10%	4–5
II	3	2.5	12%	6–7
III	3	3.4	14%	8–10
IV	3	4.2	16%	11–13
V	3	5.0	18%	14–16
VI	3	6.0	20%	17–19

Note:

MET: Resting metabolic rate = 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute.
Source: Ellestad MH. Stress Testing Principles and Practice. 4th ed. New York, Oxford University Press, 1996.
This involves walking on a treadmill with various electrodes attached to the body while the heart is monitored by an ECG machine.
Perfusion and gaseous levels are also monitored, before, during, and after exercise.
The walking speed on the treadmill and inclination can be adjusted to suit individual tolerance levels.
The test is tolerated by most patients and can detect signs of such conditions as angina, or a previous heart attack. The protocol itself makes the patient run at speeds from 2.74 km/hr to 12.07 km/hr.
The gradient is initially at horizontal and later increased up to 28% at intervals of 3 minutes. The patient is challenged to run on the treadmill till he or she is fatigued.
For normal individuals, the time is between 9 and 15 minutes.
From the total walk/run time the patient's VO2 max can be calculated based on the total time taken for the test.

03/Feb/24 Bruce protocol