Peak oxygen uptake in relation to total heart volume discriminates heart failure patients from healthy volunteers and athletes.

Background: An early sign of heart failure (HF) is a decreased cardiac reserve or inability to adequately increase cardiac output during exercise. Under normal circumstances maximal cardiac output is closely related to peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) which has previously been shown to be closely related to total heart volume (THV). Thus, the aim of this study was to derive a VO2peak/THV ratio and to test the hypothesis that this ratio can be used to distinguish patients with HF from healthy volunteers and endurance athletes.

Relation between cardiac dimensions and peak oxygen uptake.

Background: Long term endurance training is known to increase peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and induce morphological changes of the heart such as increased left ventricular mass (LVM). However, the relationship between and the total heart volume (THV), considering both the left and right ventricular dimensions in both males and females, is not completely described. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that THV is an independent predictor of VO2peak and to determine if the left and right ventricles enlarge in the same order of magnitude in males and females with a presumed wide range of THV.

Respiratory indices by gas analysis and fat metabolism by indirect calorimetry in normal subjects and triathletes.

Background: The effects of exercise on different indices reflecting the metabolism have been of interest for a long time, and a relationship between anaerobic indices and maximal oxygen uptake has been established. The inter-relationship between different respiratory indices during an exercise test remains to be studied in order to understand differences between individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine three respiratory indices and investigate their inter-relationship in individuals with highly variable working capacity.

Atrioventricular plane displacement is the major contributor to left ventricular pumping in healthy adults, athletes, and patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Previous studies using echocardiography in healthy subjects have reported conflicting data regarding the percentage of the stroke volume (SV) of the left ventricle (LV) resulting from longitudinal and radial function, respectively. Therefore, the aim was to quantify the percentage of SV explained by longitudinal atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD) in controls, athletes, and patients with decreased LV function due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Twelve healthy subjects, 12 elite triathletes, and 12 patients with DCM and ejection fraction below 30% were examined by cine magnetic resonance imaging.