Why the study?
Established performance measures like ventilatory and lactate thresholds cannot be easily assessed at high altitudes, creating a need for a noninvasive, reliable, and cost-effective method to monitor training management.
Does a novel ECG-based method reliably assess anaerobic threshold compared to routine lactate thresholds in healthy athletes during acute altitude exposure?
Does a novel ECG-based method reliably assess anaerobic threshold compared to routine lactate thresholds in healthy athletes during acute altitude exposure?
A novel ECG-based method using beat-to-beat repolarization instability provides a reliable, noninvasive assessment of anaerobic thresholds at high altitude, correlating strongly with traditional lactate thresholds.
Offers a potential noninvasive approach to monitor exercise thresholds at high altitude; leaves open whether.
Background:Acute altitude has a relevant impact on exercise physiology and performance. Therefore, the positive impact on the performance level is utilized as a training strategy in professional as well as recreational athletes. However, ventilatory thresholds (VTs) and lactate thresholds (LTs), as established performance measures, cannot be easily assessed at high altitudes. Therefore, a noninvasive, reliable, and cost-effective method is needed to facilitate and monitor training management at high altitudes. High Alt Med Biol. 25:94–99, 2024. Methods:In a cross-sectional setting, a total of 14 healthy recreational athletes performed a graded cycling exercise test at sea level (Munich, Germany: 512 m/949 mbar) and high altitude (Zugspitze: 2,650 m/715 mbar). Anaerobic thresholds (ATs) were assessed using a novel method based on beat-to-beat repolarization instability (dT) detected by Frank-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring. The ECG-based ATs (ATdT°) were compared to routine LTs assessed according to Dickhuth and Mader. Results:After acute altitude exposure, a decrease in AT was detected using a novel ECG-based method (ATdT°: 159.80 ± 52.21 W vs. 134.66 ± 34.91 W). AtdT° levels correlated significantly with LTDickhuth and LTMader, at baseline (rDickhuth/AtdT° = 0.979; p < 0.001) (rMader/AtdT° = 0.943; p < 0.001), and at high altitude (rDickhuth/AtdT° = 0.969; p < 0.001) (rMader/AtdT° = 0.942; p < 0.001). Conclusion:Assessment of ATdT is a reliable method to detect performance alterations at altitude. This novel method may facilitate the training management of athletes at high altitudes.
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Weis et al. (2024) studied this question.
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