Key result
Elite female ice hockey athletes show lower late-systolic IVPG and reduced LVGLSR versus healthy controls.
Why the study?
Intrinsic myocardial contractile characteristics and their coupling with intracardiac hemodynamics remain unclear in elite female ice hockey athletes.
Does elite ice hockey training alter myocardial strain and intraventricular hemodynamics in female athletes compared to casual players and healthy controls?
Cross-Sectional (n=77)
Does elite ice hockey training alter myocardial strain and intraventricular hemodynamics in female athletes compared to casual players and healthy controls?
p-value: p=0.002
Elite female ice hockey athletes exhibit distinct echocardiographic adaptations, including altered intraventricular pressure gradients and myocardial strain modulation, which may serve as markers for cardiac adaptation.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
These strain patterns may reflect training adaptation in elite female athletes; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
Yang et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Cardiac adaptation to exercise (n=77). High-level ice hockey training vs. Casual training and healthy controls was evaluated on Intraventricular pressure gradient (IVPG) during late systole, LV global longitudinal strain rate (LVGLSR), time to peak longitudinal strain (TTPLS), and peak strain dispersion (PSD) (p=0.002). Elite female ice hockey athletes demonstrated significantly lower intraventricular pressure gradient during late systole (p=0.002) and reduced LVGLSR (p=0.008) compared to healthy controls.
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