CARDIOVASCULAR-RESPONSE TO SUDDEN STRENUOUS EXERCISE - AN EXERCISE ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC STUDY

We studied the response in left ventricular (LV) internal dimensions a nd posterior wall thickness during the performance of sudden strenuous exercise without warm-up (SSE) and sudden strenuous exercise with war m-up (SSEw) in 15 healthy, untrained college-aged males (26 +/- 5.0 yr ). Measurements of left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD), l eft ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESD), stroke dimension (SD = LVEDD-LVESD), fractional shortening (FS = SD/EDD) and posterior wail thickness (PWT) were obtained from continuous 2-D targeted on M-mode e chocardiography. Continuous EKG and blood pressure were obtained at re st and during the final 10 s of SSE (30 s of upright leg cycle ergomet ry of 400 W at 80 rpm). SSEw was preceded by warm-up exercise (6 min o f graded leg cycle exercise of 2-min stages initial load 30 W, increas ing in 30-W increments at 60 rpm, followed immediately by SSE). Our fi ndings revealed that there were no significant differences in the LV i nternal dimensions (LVEDD, LVESD, FS, PWT), HR max, RPP max, ECG, and MAP max between SSE and SSEw. Sudden strenuous exercise without warm-u p is not associated with a reduced LV function. The results of this st udy are contradictory to previous findings that have suggested that SS E is associated with transient global left ventricular (LV) dysfunctio n.