Concierge cardiology · London
Private cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) in London, the gold-standard fitness test.
The reference test for cardiac and respiratory fitness - VO₂ max, anaerobic threshold and pre-op fitness measured directly, not estimated.
Why patients choose us
- 01
The right test, not the quick one
CPET is the gold standard - we make sure it’s the right question before you book.
- 02
Supervised by a specialist
A consultant cardiologist or respiratory physician is present throughout and reports the study.
- 03
Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic, so the recommendation is impartial and costs you nothing.
Indicative pricing
What a private CPET costs in London.
Indicative ranges across our partner clinics. Send the details and we quote firm figures across two or three options.
In short
A standard CPET in our network: £550-£1,100; pre-op CPET £700-£1,400.
| Scan type | Indicative range | Typical duration | Report turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard CPET | £550–£1,100 | 60–90 min | Same-day |
| CPET + cardiology review | £750–£1,500 | Half-day | Same visit |
| Pre-operative CPET | £700–£1,400 | Half-day | Same visit |
| Athlete CPET (with lactate) | £600–£1,200 | Half-day | Same-day |
| Heart-failure CPET | £700–£1,400 | Half-day | 3–5 days |
| Repeat CPET (training progress) | £500–£1,000 | Half-day | Same-day |
Prices vary by clinic, protocol, whether lactate sampling is added and whether a consultant review is included. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The problem
Estimated fitness is a guess. CPET measures it directly.
Watch-based VO₂ estimates and simple stress ECGs miss the ventilatory and metabolic story. CPET separates cardiac from respiratory from deconditioning limitation - the entire point.
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Breathless and no one can say why?
CPET puts a number on where the limitation is - heart, lungs or fitness.
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Referred for pre-op fitness?
Anaerobic threshold and peak VO₂ are the metrics your anaesthetist actually uses.
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Serious athlete tracking a plan?
Direct VO₂ max and lactate thresholds beat any watch-based estimate.
The journey
From enquiry to report - what happens, in order.
One clinician from first message to explained result - same visit for standard studies, 3-5 days for heart-failure CPET.
Phase 1 · Before your test
Concierge, off-stage for you
Phase 2 · On the day
~half-day at the clinic
Phase 3 · After
Concierge, back on
- 01
Before
You tell us what is going on
A short, confidential form. Symptoms, timeline, referral or insurer if you have them.
- 02
Before
We come back with a recommendation
Within one working day: which CPET protocol, which clinic, indicative price. If a test isn’t the right step, we say so.
- 03
Before
We arrange the appointment
Often same or next day, including evenings and Saturdays. Insurer pre-authorisation handled.
- 04
On the day
Arrival and preparation
Comfortable clothes and trainers. Electrodes go on the chest; a fitted face mask connects you to the metabolic cart.
- 05
On the day
The test
You cycle (or run) on a graded ramp protocol to maximum tolerated effort while ECG, BP, VO₂ and VCO₂ are measured breath-by-breath.
- 06
On the day
Recovery on the couch
Monitoring continues for several minutes until heart rate, BP and gas exchange settle back to baseline.
- 07
After
Report and next steps
A consultant report the same visit for straightforward athlete and pre-op studies, 3-5 days for heart-failure CPET.
Typical end-to-end: same visit to 5 days. Urgent cases: same day.
What it shows
Find the CPET question that matches your case.
CPET spans investigation, staging and performance. These are the questions we are asked to answer most.
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VO₂ max - gold standard
Measures cardiorespiratory fitness directly, not estimated from heart rate.
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Pre-operative fitness
Anaerobic threshold and VO₂ peak stratify surgical risk before major surgery.
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Heart-failure staging
Peak VO₂ and VE/VCO₂ slope guide transplant and advanced-therapy decisions.
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Exercise-induced asthma
Separates cardiac from pulmonary limitation and captures ventilatory patterns.
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Athlete performance tracking
Sets training zones from measured lactate and anaerobic thresholds.
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Unexplained dyspnoea
Objectively identifies whether the heart, lungs or deconditioning is the cause.
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Exercise limitation work-up
Quantifies where and why exercise capacity falls short of predicted.
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Red flag: syncope on exertion
Syncope on exertion or chest pain - call 999 before booking any exercise test.
CPET protocols
Not all CPETs are the same.
What each option on your referral is actually for.
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Standard CPET
Full breath-by-breath gas analysis with 12-lead ECG on a ramp cycle or treadmill protocol.
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CPET + cardiology review
CPET combined with a same-visit consultant cardiology consultation and interpretation.
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Pre-op CPET
Anaesthetist-focused CPET to stratify risk before major abdominal, thoracic or vascular surgery.
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Athlete CPET (with lactate)
Adds capillary lactate sampling to define aerobic, anaerobic and race-pace training zones.
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Heart-failure CPET
Extended protocol focused on peak VO₂ and VE/VCO₂ slope for advanced heart-failure decisions.
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Repeat CPET
A follow-up study to measure objective progress after training, rehab or medical therapy.
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Paediatric CPET
Age-appropriate protocol and equipment for congenital heart disease and paediatric performance.
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Post-COVID CPET
Investigates persistent breathlessness and exercise intolerance after COVID or long-COVID.
Our vetted London network
A small panel of clinics, we picked them.
Partners across central, north, west and south London. Not listed publicly - introductions are made privately, once we understand your case.
Selection criteria
How we choose every clinic in our network.
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Consultant cardiologists or respiratory physicians supervise every study in person
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Calibrated metabolic-cart equipment, checked before every test
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Continuous 12-lead ECG throughout exercise and recovery
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Anaesthetist input available for pre-operative CPET referrals
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Full resuscitation kit present, checked and drilled
Safety and eligibility
Highly monitored, but a maximum-effort test.
CPET is closely supervised throughout. The practical points are preparation, the face mask, and when the test should be paused or deferred.
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Small but real cardiac risk
Serious events are rare - we screen carefully and a full resuscitation kit is present throughout.
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Fast for 2 hours beforehand
No heavy meal in the two hours before the test - a light snack earlier is fine.
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Avoid caffeine on the day
Skip coffee, tea and energy drinks - they distort heart-rate and ventilatory response.
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Continue routine cardiac medication
Take your usual heart medication unless a specialist has told you otherwise.
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Maximum effort - you decide when to stop
CPET is symptom-limited; you stop when you cannot continue, and the team stops sooner if needed.
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A face mask is worn
A close-fitting mask connects you to the metabolic cart - you can still communicate throughout.
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Pregnancy sometimes contraindicated
CPET is usually deferred in pregnancy unless there is a specific clinical need.
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Post-COVID myocarditis screening
A resting ECG and, where indicated, cardiac review is advised before post-COVID CPET.
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Bring your usual trainers
Comfortable clothing and the trainers you would normally exercise in.
Reading your report
A CPET report is dense with numbers. It’s still four parts.
Every CPET report keeps to the same structure - header, technique, findings, impression.
A quiet reminder
A normal CPET is very reassuring - but it does not exclude every cause of exercise limitation.
If you would like us to talk you through it before your follow-up, just ask.
- 01 Header
The clinical indication
Your details, the referring question and the symptoms behind the test.
- 02 Technique
Protocol and equipment
The ramp protocol used, ergometer or treadmill, metabolic cart and 12-lead ECG setup.
- 03 Findings
VO₂ max, AT, VE/VCO₂, HR and BP response
Peak VO₂, anaerobic threshold, ventilatory efficiency and full cardiovascular response.
- 04 Impression
The conclusion: read this first
Normal, deconditioning, cardiac vs respiratory limitation - and the next step to take.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Cover depends on your policy and clinic; we confirm with your insurer before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about CPET.
Quick answers on cost, referrals, safety, preparation and results.
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What does a CPET actually measure?
CPET measures VO₂ max (peak oxygen uptake), anaerobic threshold, VE/VCO₂ slope (ventilatory efficiency), heart-rate and blood-pressure response, ECG changes and breathing pattern - all breath-by-breath under increasing exercise load. It’s the only test that directly measures cardiorespiratory fitness rather than estimating it.
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How is CPET different from a standard exercise stress test?
A standard treadmill stress test looks mainly at ECG changes and symptoms during exercise. CPET adds a face mask and metabolic cart to measure oxygen uptake and CO₂ production directly, separating cardiac from respiratory from deconditioning causes of exercise limitation.
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Who should have a CPET?
Patients being worked up for unexplained breathlessness, staged for heart failure, assessed before major surgery, screened for exercise-induced asthma, or serious athletes wanting objective fitness data and training zones.
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How much does a private CPET cost in London?
A standard CPET is £550-£1,100, and CPET with a consultant cardiology review £750-£1,500. Pre-op CPET runs £700-£1,400 and heart-failure CPET £700-£1,400. We confirm a firm figure within one working day.
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Do I need a referral?
Most clinics need a cardiologist or respiratory-physician referral for CPET. Some accept self-referral for athlete or wellness CPET - we arrange fast-track private specialist input where needed.
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Do I need to fast?
No full fast is needed. Avoid a heavy meal in the two hours before the test, skip caffeine on the day, and take your usual medication unless specifically told otherwise.
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The face mask sounds uncomfortable - is it?
Most patients find the mask unusual for the first minute or two, then forget about it. It’s close-fitting to give accurate gas readings but breathing feels normal, and the team can hear and see you throughout.
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Can I have CPET in pregnancy?
CPET is usually deferred in pregnancy unless clearly indicated by a specialist. We will discuss the risks and alternatives with your consultant before scheduling.
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When is a follow-up scan needed?
A follow-up CPET is typical 3-6 months after starting cardiac rehab, heart-failure therapy or a structured training block, to objectively measure improvement in VO₂ max and anaerobic threshold.
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When should I see a GP urgently instead?
If you have collapsed on exertion, or have new severe chest pain, do not book a CPET - call 999 or see your GP the same day. CPET is a planned, investigative test, not an emergency assessment.
Related tests
Looking for a different test?
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Exercise stress test
Treadmill ECG, stress echo, MPI and CPET options.
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VO₂ max
Wellness-focused cardiorespiratory fitness testing.
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Echocardiogram
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All tests
Every test and procedure in one place.
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Hypertension
Related condition guide.
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Atrial Fibrillation
Related condition guide.
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Coronary Angioplasty
Related treatment option.
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Coronary Artery Disease Treatment
Related treatment option.
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In practice, in London
Booking cardiopulmonary exercise test privately in London - what actually happens
With cardiopulmonary exercise test, the London question is usually about report turnaround and the radiologist reading it - not whether the scan is available. The wait for cardiopulmonary exercise test on the NHS depends heavily on where you live and how urgently the referral is graded. Central and West London private clinics can normally book within a week, with imaging or a procedure slot to follow shortly after. It’s worth being honest about the reason for going private: usually it’s time, not a fundamentally different test.
In practice, a private cardiopulmonary exercise test appointment in London means a named consultant, a proper hour in the room (or the equivalent on a video call), and a report you can actually read. Most of the imaging suites and endoscopy units we use sit within a mile of Harley Street or in Chelsea and Fulham, and turnaround on findings is measured in days, not weeks. For cardiopulmonary exercise test specifically, the difference between a routine report and a sub-speciality read is where private care earns its keep.
We’re careful about what a private pathway for cardiopulmonary exercise test can and can’t promise. It can compress a wait, put you in front of a subspecialist quickly, and get a proper report in your hands within a week. It can’t rewrite what the imaging or the bloods say. Setting that expectation up front tends to make the whole experience less stressful.