The Impact of Prolonged Strenuous Exercise on Right Ventricular Structure and Function: Insights from Novel Echocardiography and Electrocardiography
type: CreativeWork
description: The body of evidence investigating post-exercise changes in left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) structure and function, commonly referred to as exercise induced cardiac fatigue (EICF), demonstrates a reduction in both systolic and diastolic function. RV dilatation and reduced LV filling are also evident. The mechanism responsible for this phenomenon is not fully understood, however a recent theory suggests that an elevated afterload on the RV and subsequent interaction between the ventricles may be implicated. Based on this, the aims of this thesis were: 1) to assess the RV structural and functional response to a 100 mile ultra-marathon applying novel techniques to determine the transient or persistent nature of RV post-exercise changes, 2) to provide a holistic assessment of all cardiac chambers, including the simultaneous derivation of structure and function for both the LV and RV in the same cardiac cycle following a 100 mile ultra-marathon, 3) to establish the acute response to a 100 mile ultra-marathon in both the 12-lead ECG and right-sided ECG and 4) to assess RV structure and function during a 6 hour upright cycling exercise bout, including the simultaneous estimation of PAP. The key finding from the Chapter 3 was a 10% reduction (P = 0.007) in RV strain and early diastolic strain rate immediately post-race that remained depressed following 6 hours of recovery. The application of area-deformation loops in Chapter 4 highlighted a leftward shift of the LV loop and rightwards shift of the RV loop immediately post-race with concomitant reduction in both LV and RV strain (-29 to -26% and -23 to -19% respectively, P = 0.01). The LV loop reflected a change in cardiac mechanics immediately post-race, supported by the increase in the systolic-diastolic strain gradient (P < 0.05). Following 6 hours of recovery, the strain gradient returned to baseline values but both RV and LV loops were still displaced from baseline values. There was a 22% elevation in the ST segmen…
abstract: The body of evidence investigating post-exercise changes in left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) structure and function, commonly referred to as exercise induced cardiac fatigue (EICF), demonstrates a reduction in both systolic and diastolic function. RV dilatation and reduced LV filling are also evident. The mechanism responsible for this phenomenon is not fully understood, however a recent theory suggests that an elevated afterload on the RV and subsequent interaction between the ventricles may be implicated. Based on this, the aims of this thesis were: 1) to assess the RV structural and functional response to a 100 mile ultra-marathon applying novel techniques to determine the transient or persistent nature of RV post-exercise changes, 2) to provide a holistic assessment of all cardiac chambers, including the simultaneous derivation of structure and function for both the LV and RV in the same cardiac cycle following a 100 mile ultra-marathon, 3) to establish the acute response to a 100 mile ultra-marathon in both the 12-lead ECG and right-sided ECG and 4) to assess RV structure and function during a 6 hour upright cycling exercise bout, including the simultaneous estimation of PAP. The key finding from the Chapter 3 was a 10% reduction (P = 0.007) in RV strain and early diastolic strain rate immediately post-race that remained depressed following 6 hours of recovery. The application of area-deformation loops in Chapter 4 highlighted a leftward shift of the LV loop and rightwards shift of the RV loop immediately post-race with concomitant reduction in both LV and RV strain (-29 to -26% and -23 to -19% respectively, P = 0.01). The LV loop reflected a change in cardiac mechanics immediately post-race, supported by the increase in the systolic-diastolic strain gradient (P < 0.05). Following 6 hours of recovery, the strain gradient returned to baseline values but both RV and LV loops were still displaced from baseline values. There was a 22% elevation in the ST segmen…
author: Lord, RN
keywords: RC1200 Sports Medicine
date published: 2015
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:30:00Z
provider: Liverpool Jon Moores University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Liverpool John Moores University

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.24377/LJMU.t.00004541