Left atrial strain after maximal exercise in competitive waterpolo players

• Published in: International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging 2016-03, Vol.32 (3), p.399-405
• Main Authors: Santoro, Amato, Alvino, Federico, Antonelli, Giovanni, Molle, Roberta, Mondillo, Sergio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Adult; Atrial Function, Left; Biomechanical Phenomena; Cardiac Imaging; Cardiology; Competitive Behavior; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; Humans; Imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Myocardial Contraction; Original Paper; Physical Endurance; Radiology; Stress, Mechanical; Stroke Volume; Swimming; Time Factors; Ventricular Function, Left; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1569-5794; 1573-0743; 1875-8312
• DOI: 10.1007/s10554-015-0786-8

Left atrial (LA) function is a determinant of left ventricular (LV) filling. It carries out three main functions: reservoir, conduit, contractile. Aim of this study was to evaluate the role of LA and its deformation properties on LV filling at rest (R) and immediately after a maximal exercise (ME) through the speckle tracking echocardiography. Population enrolled was composed by 23 water polo athletes who performed a ME of six repeats of 100 m freestyle swim sets. At ME peak atrial longitudinal strain was reduced but all strain rate (SR) parameters increased, respectively positive peak SR at reservoir phase, SR negative peak at rapid ventricular filling (SRep) and SR negative peak at late ventricular filling (SRlp), that corresponds to atrial contraction phase. We showed a parallel increase in E and A pulsed Doppler wave and SRep and SRlp; particularly at ME, A wave and SRlp increased more respectively than E wave and SRep. SRlp was related to ejection fraction (EF) (r = −0.47; p