Diffusing Capacity for Carbon Monoxide as a Predictor of Gas Exchange during Exercise

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Abstract
In patients with pulmonary disease, the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide has been used to predict abnormal gas exchange in the lung. However, abnormal values for arterial blood gases during exercise are likely to be the most sensitive manifestations of lung disease. We compared the single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide at rest with measurements of gas exchange during exercise, including arterial oxygen tension, the alveolar–arterial difference in oxygen tension, the arterial–end-tidal difference in carbon dioxide tension, and the dead-space/tidal-volume ratio in 276 current and former shipyard workers.