Left Ventricular Responses during Exercise in Highly Trained Youth Athletes: Echocardiographic Insights on Function and Adaptation

Figures

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  Figure 1. Stroke index (a) and cardiac index (b) at rest and during submaximal and maximal exercise in the child cyclists and untrained children. Difference between workloads for both groups (* p < 0.05 and ** p < 0.001). Difference between the child cyclists and the untrained children († p < 0.01 and †† p < 0.001). Nottin et al., 2002 [34]. Reprinted with permission from Nottin et al. [34], 2002, John Wiley and Sons.

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  Figure 2. QIndex responses of soccer players (n = 22) and controls (n = 15) at the two comparable, relative exercise intensities (RE (1) and RE (2)). The symbols denote the mean values. Horizontal error bars denote the variability (SD) in relative exercise intensity (%VO2max) and vertical error bars denote the variability (SD) in QIndex. At both RE (1) and RE (2), the SP demonstrated significantly greater QIndex responses than the CON. * denotes p ≤ 0.05. Unnithan et al., 2018 [33]. Reprinted with permission from Unnithan et al. [33], 2018, John Wiley and Sons.

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  Figure 3. SVIndex responses of soccer players (n = 22) and controls (n = 15) at the two comparable, relative exercise intensities (RE (1) and RE (2)). The symbols denote the mean values. Horizontal error bars denote the variability (SD) in relative exercise intensity (%VO2max) and vertical error bars denote the variability (SD) in SVIndex. At RE (1), the SP demonstrated significantly greater SVIndex responses than the CON. There was no significant inter-group difference in SVIndex at RE (2). * denotes p ≤ 0.05. Unnithan et al. [33]. Reprinted with permission from Unnithan et al. [33], 2018, John Wiley and Sons.

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  Figure 4. Changes in heart rate (HR), cardiac index (QIndex), stroke volume index (SVIndex), and arterial-venous oxygen difference (AVO2 difference) at approximately 45% V˙O2peak in the control participants and soccer players over the course of the three-year observational study. All values are median and inter-quartile range. Unnithan et al. [1]. Reprinted with permission from Unnithan et al. [1], 2022, John Wiley and Sons.

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  Figure 5. Changes in TDI derived markers of systolic (peak aortic velocity and S′adj) and diastolic function (E, E′adj and E/E′) during submaximal exercise at approximately 45% V˙O2peak in the control participants and soccer players over the course of the three-year observational study. All values are median and inter-quartile range. Unnithan et al. 2022 [1]. Reprinted with permission from Unnithan et al. [1], 2022, John Wiley and Sons.