title: Echocardiographic examination of women collegiate softball champions.
abstract: The cardiac profile of nine AIAW softball champions (SC) was compared with the cardiac profile of 10 sedentary women who were matched according to age and body size (SW). Standard M-mode echocardiography and a maximum graded stress test were performed on each subject. The mean (+/- SE) resting heart rate (50.6 +/- 2.6 bpm) and VO2max (55.3 +/- 2.0 ml O2 x kg-1 x min-1) of the SC were significantly different (P less than 0.001) than the heart rate (71.2 +/- 3.1 bpm) and VO2max (40.3 +/- 1.4 ml x kg-1 x min-1) of the SW. Significantly greater (P less than 0.05) interventricular septal thickness (IST), and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVIDd) and volume (LVIDd3) were noted in the SC. The means (+/- SE) for IST, LVIDd, and LVIDd3 for the athletes were 8.9 +/- 0.4 mm, 4.8 +/- 0.1 cm, and 110 +/- 5.9 cm3, respectively; and for the SW were 7.5 +/- 0.5 mm. 4.4 +/- 0.2 cm, and 87.8 +/- 8.0 cm3, respectively. Although there was no difference in the left ventricular cavity/muscle volume ratio, the athletes had an increased (P less than 0.02) left ventricular mass (168 +/- 15 g) when compared with SW (123 +/- 9 g). Therefore, the cardiac adaptations noted during rest in moderate-endurance trained AIAW softball champions included a relative bradycardia and eccentric hypertrophy.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001810:Blood Volume; D003971:Diastole; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D013178:Sports Medicine