title: Left ventricle changes early after breath-holding in deep water in elite apnea divers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study by ultrasounds cardiac morphology and function early after breath-hold diving in deep water in elite athletes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen healthy male divers (age 28 +/- 3 years) were studied using Doppler-echocardiography, immediately before (basal condition, BC) and two minutes after breath-hold diving (40 meters, acute post-apnea condition, APAC). Each subject performed a series of three consecutive breath-hold dives (20-30 and 40 m depth).
  
  
  RESULTS
  End-diastolic left ventricular (LV) diameter (EDD) and end-diastolic LV volume (EDV) increased significantly (p < 0.01). Stroke volume (SV), cardiac index (CI), septal and posterior systolic wall-thickening (SWT) also significantly increased after diving (p < 0.01). No wall motion abnormalities were detected, and wall motion score index was unchanged between BC and APAC. Doppler mitral E wave increased significantly (p < 0.01), whereas the A wave was unchanged. Systemic vascular resistance (SVR) decreased significantly after diving (p < 0.05). In the factor analysis, filtering out the absolute values smaller than 0.7 in the loading matrix, it resulted that factor I consists of EDV, posterior SWT, SV and CI, factor II of diastolic blood pressure, waves A and E and factor III of heart rate and SVR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Systo-diastolic functions were improved in the early period after deep breath-hold diving due to favorable changes in loading conditions relative to pre-diving, namely the recruitment of left ventricular preload reserve and the reduction in afterload.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pingitore
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gemignani
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Menicucci
authors.forename: Mirko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Passera
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frassi
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marabotti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piarulli
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benassi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: L'Abbate
authors.forename: Remo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bedini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004242:Diving / Q000502:physiology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D012119:Respiration; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*