Exploring the determinants of the cardiac changes after ultra-long duration exercise: The echocardiographic Spartathlon study The idea of this study was the study of the pathophysiological determinants of heart changes after an extremely long burden. 27 runners who had finished a 246 km long race were examined both before and after the end of the race.The investigations included echocardiography and the measurement of body weight as well as biochemical blood parameters. The barrel increased the thickness of the left ventricular end-diastolic interventricular septum (LVIVSD) and the thickness of the rear wall (LVPWTD) and the right ventricular end-diastolic pressure, while the systolic excursion of the tricuspidal ring plane (tapes) was reduced. A slight decrease in the absolute peak values of both the left ventricle (from -20.9 ± 2.3% to -18.8 ± 2.0%) and the right ventricle (from -22.9 ± 3.6% -21.2 ± 3.0%) could be detected.Global longings occurred. There was a decrease in body weight and an increase in both the circulating highly sensitive troponin I as well as the Pro-B type amino-terminal natriuretic peptide (NT-probnp). The change of the sum of LVIVSD and LVPWTD correlated negative with the percentage change in body weight. The only independent determinant for NT-probnp after training was the systolic pressure of the pulmonary artery.NT-Probnp after training correlated positively with the percentage changes in the right ventricular diameter of Basal (RVBAS) and center of the heart cavity (RVMID) and negative with percentage changes of tapes. Similar correlations with RVBAS, RVMID and tapes were found for systolic pressure of the lung artery. The highly sensitive troponin I after training correlated negatively with the percentage change of the body weight, but was associated with no cardiac parameter.
The main cardiac effects of extremely long training were the decrease in left ventricular end-diastolic dimensions and the increase in left ventricular wall thickness as well as a minimal extension and change in the systolic function of the right ventricle, possibly due to the changed training legal ventricular. The study can be found under https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32013601/