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. 2022 Jul 25;9(8):235.
doi: 10.3390/jcdd9080235.

Physiological Effects of Training in Elite German Winter Sport Athletes: Sport Specific Remodeling Determined Using Echocardiographic Data and CPET Performance Parameters

Paul Zimmermann  1   2   3 , Isabelle Schöffl  2   4 , Volker Schöffl  2   5   6   7   8 , Lukas Zimmermann  2 , Max L Eckstein  3 , Othmar Moser  3   9 , Jan Wüstenfeld  10   11
Affiliations

Physiological Effects of Training in Elite German Winter Sport Athletes: Sport Specific Remodeling Determined Using Echocardiographic Data and CPET Performance Parameters

Paul Zimmermann et al. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. .

Abstract

Nine ski mountaineering (Ski-Mo), ten Nordic-cross country (NCC), and twelve world elite biathlon (Bia) athletes were evaluated for cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) performance and pronounced echocardiographic physiological cardiac remodeling as a primary aim of our descriptive preliminary report. In this context, a multicenter retrospective analysis of two-dimensional echocardiographic data including speckle tracking of the left ventricle (LV-GLS) and CPET performance analysis was performed in 31 elite world winter sports athletes, which were obtained during the annual sports medicine examination between 2020 and 2021. The matched data of the elite winter sports athletes (14 women, 17 male athletes, age: 18-32 years) were compared for different CPET and echocardiographic parameters, anthropometric data, and sport-specific training schedules. Significant differences could be revealed for left atrial (LA) remodeling by LA volume index (LAVI, p = 0.0052), LV-GLS (p = 0.0003), and LV mass index (LV Mass index, p = 0.0078) between the participating disciplines. All participating athletes showed excellent performance data in the CPET analyses, whereby significant differences were revealed for highest maximum respiratory minute volume (VE maximum) and the maximum oxygen pulse level across the participating athletes. This study on sport specific physiological demands in elite winter sport athletes provides new evidence that significant differences in CPET and cardiac remodeling of the left heart can be identified based on the individual athlete's training schedule, frequency, and physique.

Keywords: Nordic-cross country; biathletes; cardiopulmonary exercise testing; echocardiography; physiological demands; ski-mountaineering; winter sport athlete.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Analysis of the left atrial volume index (LAVI)—significant different results defined by the athletic sporting discipline in world elite winter sport professionals (p = 0.0052), modified from Zimmermann et al. 2021 [12].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Analysis of the left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) in world elite winter sport professionals (p = 0.0052), modified from Zimmermann et al., 2021 [12].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Analysis of maximum oxygen pulse in world elite winter sport professionals (p = 0.0033, p = 0.0231), modified from Zimmermann et al., 2022 [22].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Analysis of maximum ventilatory oxygen uptake (VO2 maximum) in male world elite winter sport professionals (p = 0.0087).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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