Research Question: Is the Vacumed Master Pro a valid analyzer in measuring oxygen consumption during steady state exercise of 35%, 50% and 70% of VO2 max?
Introduction:
Oxygen exchange (VO2) is a commonly used measure to asses one’s cardiovascular fitness. While the Douglas bag method is commonly used in laboratory setting and considered the gold standard (Ross et al., 2020), this method along with other metabolic carts is somewhat cumbersome and requires one to in a fixed location. An alternative solution is to use a portable metabolic system, but these can be costly limiting use at smaller universities. The Vacumed VO2 Master Pro is a possible alternative that is both portable and cost efficient. This system includes an O2 sensor for easy to use VO2 measuring capability. Despite the ease of measuring VO2 with the Master Pro, there are currently no validation studies that test the accuracy at moderate and vigorous exercise intensities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to validate the Vacumed Master Pro in measuring VO2 during steady state exercise at moderate and vigorous intensity.
