Owen W Tomlinson

Owen W Tomlinson
University of Exeter | UoE · Department of Clinical & Biomedical Science

PhD MSc BSc (Hons) AFHEA

About

95
Publications
7,849
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342
Citations
Introduction
I am a Lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, undertaking research on cardiopulmonary exercise testing in the assessment and treatment of chronic lung disease, remote delivery of exercise training in respiratory disease, and development of exercise staffing requirements in the health service.
Additional affiliations
August 2018 - December 2021
University of Exeter
Position
  • Research Associate
June 2017 - August 2018
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Position
  • Therapy Practitioner in Cystic Fibrosis
Education
September 2013 - December 2018
University of Exeter
Field of study
  • Sport and Health Science
September 2012 - September 2013
University of Exeter
Field of study
September 2008 - July 2012
University of Bath
Field of study

Publications

Publications (95)
Article
Full-text available
Background The roles of physical activity (PA) and exercise within the management of cystic fibrosis (CF) are recognised by their inclusion in numerous standards of care and treatment guidelines. However, information is brief, and both PA and exercise as multi-faceted behaviours require extensive stakeholder input when developing and promoting such...
Article
Full-text available
Objective The importance of aerobic fitness (VO 2peak ) in cystic fibrosis (CF) is well established, and regular exercise testing is recommended. To standardise VO 2peak , a ‘percentage of predicted’ (% pred ) derived from normative reference values (NRV), as promoted by the 2015 European Cystic Fibrosis Society Exercise Working Group (ECFS EWG), c...
Article
Full-text available
Background Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), and its primary outcome of peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak ), are acknowledged as biomarkers in the diagnostic and prognostic management of interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, the validity and repeatability of CPET in those with ILD has yet to be fully characterised, and this study fills this e...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives Regular exercise testing is recommended for people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF), as is the provision and regular review of exercise training programmes. A previous survey on exercise testing and training for pwCF in the UK was conducted over a decade ago. With the landscape of CF changing considerably during this time, this survey aimed t...
Article
Full-text available
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive osteoarticular disease affecting the whole joint. In the United Kingdom, OA is the most prevalent joint disease, with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) being the most common type of OA. Key symptoms of KOA include knee pain, stiffness, and loss of physical function. Different types of exercise can be performed in people...
Article
Mean middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv) and the pulsatility index (PI), at rest and in response to exercise, are important markers of cerebrovascular health status in middle-aged adults, when vascular decline assumes substantial relevance. Thus, this study aimed to describe and compare the responses of MCAv and PI to incremental exercise. Two h...
Article
Objectives: The aim of this study was to capture information regarding concussion prevalence, knowledge, and reporting behaviors in women rugby players across all competitive levels in the UK. We also investigated whether these outcomes were influenced by the prevailing concussion awareness programme (HEADCASE). Measures: 230 players from elite...
Article
Full-text available
An increase in scholarly publishing has been accompanied by a proliferation of potentially illegitimate publishers (PIP), commonly known as “predatory publishers”. These PIP often engage in fraudulent practices and publish articles that are not subject to the same scrutiny as those published in journals from legitimate publishers (LP). This places...
Conference Paper
Background Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is recommended for the management of interstitial lung disease (ILD), although a ‘one size fits all’ approach may not benefit every patient due to a multitude of unique characteristics, subsets and phenotypes. No ILD-specific personalised PR guidelines exist and exercise programme development is lacking, whi...
Conference Paper
Background: Respiratory and musculoskeletal impairments in cystic fibrosis (CF) may affect balance. However, the relationship between these impairments and balance is poorly understood in children with CF. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the balance of children with CF and investigate the relationship between balance, exercise capacity, a...
Article
Full-text available
Advances in development of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulator (CFTRm) therapies mean that now people who are heterozygous (instead of having to be homozygous) for the common F508del variant can benefit from these therapies. Recent economic estimates suggest only approximately 15% of the global population have CFTRm access...
Article
Full-text available
Background This review aims to identify which cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) derived variables can be used to personalise pulmonary rehabilitation for people with interstitial lung diseases. A ‘one size fits all’ approach does not benefit every patient due to a multitude of unique characteristics, subsets and phenotypes. No condition specific...
Article
This study investigated the middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv) response to constant work-rate moderate-intensity cycling exercise in 21 children (9.3±0.8 years), 17 adolescents (12.3±0.4 years) and 20 young adults (23.6±2.4 years). Participants completed an incremental ramp test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, to determine maximal oxy...
Article
Full-text available
Background Peak oxygen consumption (peak V ̇ O 2 $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}}{\mathrm{O}}_2 $$ ) is routinely measured in people who have congenital heart disease and is reported as a percentage of predicted value, based upon age‐ and sex‐matched normative reference values (NRVs). This study aimed to identify which NRVs are being used, assess whether NRVs a...
Article
Purpose : To examine the effect of normobaric hypoxia on pulmonary oxygen uptake ( ) and muscle oxygenation kinetics during incremental and moderate-intensity exercise in children. Methods : Eight prepubertal boys (9–11 y) performed incremental cycle tests to exhaustion in both normoxia and hypoxia (fraction of inspired O 2 of 15%) followed by repe...
Article
Full-text available
The process of getting one’s work published is a major milestone for many in their early academic and clinical careers. However, this process can be confusing and overwhelming for many who have yet to publish themselves. There are differing motivators for publishing work in our early career stages, alongside considerations, such as what we publish,...
Article
Background: Routine physical activity (PA) and exercise form a cornerstone of the management of cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetically inherited pulmonary and digestive condition – whereby telehealth platforms have been proposed as a mechanism to engage remotely people with CF in PA and exercise. Methods: To test this, in early 2020, the ‘ActivOnline...
Article
Full-text available
Background Academic publishing is a cornerstone of scholarly communications, yet is unfortunately open to abuse, having given rise to ‘predatory publishers’– groups that employ aggressive marketing tactics, are deficient in methods and ethics, and bypass peer review. Preventing these predatory publishers from infiltrating scholarly activity is of h...
Conference Paper
Introduction Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a feasible, valid, repeatable, and prognostically important tool in the management of interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, due to the progressive nature of declining pulmonary function in ILD, it is unclear if clinical status has an underlying affect upon ventilatory dynamics during CPET....
Article
Full-text available
Objective To quantify the agreement between left and right middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv) responses to incremental and constant work-rate exercise in adults. Approach Seventeen healthy adults (23.8±2.4 years, 9 females) completed a ramp incremental test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, three 6-minute transitions at a moderate-inten...
Article
Full-text available
Background Increased maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max) is beneficial in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) but remains lower compared to healthy peers. Intrinsic metabolic deficiencies within skeletal muscle (muscle “quality”) and skeletal muscle size (muscle “quantity”) are both proposed as potential causes for the lower V̇O2max, although exact mech...
Article
Research has shown that there is a lack of confidence and understanding in how to use exercise for managing cystic fibrosis. This editorial discusses the key points of a consensus statement that highlights what is and is not known about the relationship between cystic fibrosis and exercise.
Article
Full-text available
To conduct a systematic review to evaluate the effects of physiotherapy exercises delivered via telemedicine on lung function and quality-of-life in people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). The databases AMED, CINAHL and MEDLINE were searched from December 2001 until December 2021. Reference lists of included studies were hand-searched. The PRISMA 2020 st...
Article
Introduction and Objectives The use of cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPETs) has been advocated by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology (ARTP) for diagnosis and treatment of chronic lung conditions. Results from CPETs, especially the maximal oxygen uptake (&Vdot;O2max), are of prognos...
Article
Full-text available
Predatory publishers—those who do not adhere to rigorous standards of academic practice such as peer review—are increasingly infiltrating biomedical databases, to the detriment of the wider scientific community. These publishers frequently send unsolicited ‘spam’ emails to generate submission to their journals, with early career researchers (ECR) p...
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this study was to compare the kinetic response of middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv) to moderate and heavy-intensity cycling in adults, and explore the relationship between maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2max ) and MCAv kinetics. Seventeen healthy adults (23.8±2.4 years, 9 females) completed a ramp incremental test to exhaustion on...
Article
Full-text available
Cross-sectional studies have reported lower pulmonary and aerobic function during exercise in people with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) compared to non-CFRD counterparts. However, this association has yet to be longitudinally investigated. Therefore, this study examines these differences over time between people with cystic fibrosis (CF)...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives The COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedent changes to clinical practice, and as the impact upon delivery of exercise services for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) in the United Kingdom was unknown, this was characterised via a national survey. Methods An electronic survey was distributed to healthcare professionals involved in th...
Article
Full-text available
Regulation of cerebral blood flow during exercise in youth is poorly understood. This study investigated the cerebrovascular and ventilatory responses to a ramp incremental cycle test to exhaustion in 14 children (mean ± SD age: 9.4±0.9 y), 14 adolescents (12.4±0.4 y) and 19 adults (23.4±2.5 y). Middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv), partial...
Article
Full-text available
EXERCISE TESTING USING SUPRAMAXIMAL VERIFICATION IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS Craig Anthony Williams1,2, Owen William Tomlinson1,2 1. Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre, Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom 2. Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Exeter, United Kingdom Objectives Annual exerc...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives Aerobic fitness (represented by peak oxygen uptake,VO2peak) is a clinically important parameter in cystic fibrosis (CF), predicting mortality and hospitalisation risk. People with CF-related diabetes (CFRD) have reduced VO2peak relative to those with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). It is unclear how VO2peak changes over time in relation...
Preprint
Full-text available
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedent change to clinical practice. As the impact upon delivery of exercise services for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) in the UK was unknown, this was characterised via a national survey. In total, 31 CF centres participated. Principal findings included a significant reduction in exercise testing, and w...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides a series of biomarkers, such as peak oxygen uptake, which could assess the development of disease status in interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, despite use in research and clinical settings, the feasibility of CPET in this patient group has yet to be established. Methods Twenty-si...
Article
Full-text available
Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetically inherited, life-limiting condition, affecting ~90,000 people globally. Physical activity (PA) and exercise form an integral component of CF management, and have been highlighted by the CF community as an area of interest for future research. Previous reviews have solely focused on PA or structured ex...
Conference Paper
Introduction Previous cross-sectional studies have reported lower ventilatory and aerobic function (peak oxygen uptake, VO2peak) during exercise in people with cystic fibrosis related diabetes (CFRD), compared to non-CFRD counterparts. Given that VO2peak is highly predictive of mortality, and the pancreas is one of the earliest affected organs in C...
Conference Paper
Introduction Aerobic fitness (represented by VO2peak), derived from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), is a biomarker predictive of mortality in interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, CPET requires elicitation of maximal responses, which may not be feasible for some patients due to clinical contraindications. Therefore, suitable submaximal...
Article
Full-text available
Background: The benefits of physical activity (PA) for people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) are widely accepted, yet how PA is promoted and utilised by pwCF is unclear. Method: An online questionnaire to explore attitudes, practices and promotion of PA in cystic fibrosis was completed by healthcare providers (HCP), pwCF and parents/caregivers. Re...
Article
Introduction: Physical activity (PA), including structured exercise is an essential component in the management of cystic fibrosis (CF). The use of telehealth such as video-calling may be a useful method for the delivery of exercise and PA interventions, though the feasibility of this remains unknown. Methods: Nine patients with CF (three female,...
Article
Full-text available
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is viewed by many as the gold standard for assessing exercise capacity in CF, being recommended on an annual basis. However, not all patients undergo CPET for varying reasons. This service evaluation retrospectively reviewed data from 179 (92 male) patients in a single CF centre in the UK to identify such rea...
Article
Full-text available
Background Recent research has proposed an association between desaturation during a six minute walking test (6MWT) and osteoporosis in an elderly group of individuals with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. A causative pathway through activation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) has been proposed. Commentary Queries regarding the stat...
Article
Estimating muscle volume (MV) using variable numbers of cross-sectional area (CSA) slices obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) introduces error that is known in adults, but not in children and adolescents, whereby body sizes differ due to growth and maturation. Therefore, 15 children and adolescents (11 males, 14.8 ± 2.1 years) underwent...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Regular participation in physical activity by people with cystic fibrosis (CF) promotes positive clinical and health outcomes including reduced rate of decline in lung function, fewer hospitalizations and greater wellbeing. However adherence to exercise and activity programs is low, in part due to the substantial daily therapy burden f...
Conference Paper
Introduction Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is shown to be feasible in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), highlighting its prospective use as an outcome measure for prognostic monitoring. However, validity and reproducibility, in terms of eliciting maximal exercise and identifying significant changes over time remain unknown....
Conference Paper
Introduction Traditional spirometry measures of forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) are used in interstitial lung disease (ILD) for prognostic monitoring and evaluating treatment efficacy. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) has been proposed as an alternative to spirometry, although it is unknown how t...
Article
Predicting Intravenous Antibiotic Usage with Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Cystic Fibrosis Wooldridge DJ1,2,3, Tomlinson OW1,3, Bland CL1, Oades PJ3, Sheldon CD3, Withers NJ3, Williams CA1,3 1. Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre, School of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom. 2. University of E...
Article
Full-text available
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a debilitating chronic condition, which requires complex and expensive disease management. Exercise has now been recognised as a critical factor in improving health and quality of life in patients with CF. Hence, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is used to determine aerobic fitness of young patients as part of the cli...
Data
Cardiopulmonary responses to maximal aerobic exercise in patients with cystic fibrosis. Figure A: Model simulations of V˙E assuming VD = 0, compared to the recorded data value of V˙E obtained during the CPET. The thin red line gives V˙E as measured from the data and the bold coloured line gives V˙E as simulated by the model. The colour given to eac...
Article
Introduction Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial lung disease of irreversible declining lung function. Reductions in forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) are the common clinical endpoints for prognostic monitoring and assessing treatment outcomes. The use of cardiopulmo...
Article
Purpose: This study had two objectives: 1) to examine whether the validity of the supramaximal verification test for maximal oxygen uptake (V ̇O2max) differs in children and adolescents when stratified for sex, body mass and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF); and 2) to assess sensitivity and specificity of primary and secondary objective criteria fro...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose: This study characterised oxygen uptake efficiency (OUE) in children with mild-to-moderate cystic fibrosis (CF). Specifically, it investigated (1) the utility of OUE parameters as potential submaximal surrogates of peak oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]), and (2) the relationship between OUE and disease severity. Methods: Cardiopulmonar...
Article
Rationale, aims and objectives: Physical activity (PA) and exercise are important in maintaining and improving health and wellbeing in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and measures of exercise capacity are useful outcomes in monitoring disease progression. The roles and responsibilities of CF multi-disciplinary team (MDT) members in supporting PA a...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing is recommended on an annual basis for children with cystic fibrosis (CF), due to clinically useful prognostic information provided by maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max ). However, not all patients are able, or willing, to reach V̇O2max , and therefore submaximal alternatives are required. This stud...
Article
Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between body size and the oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) in paediatric patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and healthy controls (CON), in order to identify appropriate scaling procedures to adjust the influence of body size upon OUES. Methods: The OUES was derived using maxima...