Book excerpt: This 2001 book provides a practical and systematic approach to the acquisition, interpretation, and reporting of physiologic responses to exercise. Pulmonologists, cardiologists, and sports physicians, as well as respiratory therapists and other allied health professionals will find this book an indispensable resource when learning to select proper instruments, identify the most appropriate test protocols, and integrate and interpret physiologic response variables. The final chapter presents clinical cases to illuminate useful strategies for exercise testing and interpretation. Useful appendices offer laboratory forms, algorithms and calculations, as well as answers to FAQs. A glossary of terms, symbols, and definitions is also included. Exercise Testing and Interpretation: A Practical Approach offers clearly defined responses (both normal and abnormal) to over thirty performance variables including aerobic, cardiovascular, ventilatory, and gas-exchange variables. Practical, portable, and easy-to-read, this essential guidebook can be used as a complement to more detailed books on the topic, or stand on its own.