Non-invasive assessment of left ventricular performance at rest and during exercise by T-M mode echocardiography.

The evaluation methodology of the cardiac performance has had during the last period of time the important contribution of the echocardiography. Sports cardiology is an ideal field for the use of the T-M echocardiography, for the assessment of the left ventricular performance, because of its various possibilities and non-invasive character. The review based on the data of the literature and on the author's experiences in T-M echocardiography, practised on the teenagers at rest and exercise, presents the advantages, the technical difficulties, the work methodology and the limits of the method. The use of this technique allows the measurement of the dimensions of the interventricular septum, of the posterior wall of the left ventricle and its cavity, and the dimension of the aorta; the monitoring of the valvular dynamics of the mitral and aortic valve, of the interventricular septum and posterior wall of the left ventricle at rest and during exercise; the functional evaluation of the left ventricular inotropic status by means of the determination of the cardiac index, stroke volume, ejection fraction and myocardial contractility; the possibility of a systematical control of the training effects on the development of heart in the case of children practising performance sports; the detection of some cardiac diseases (e.g. cardiomyopathy, septal hypertrophy, "silent" mitral valve prolapse), which limit the adaptation of the heart to effort. Though there are a lot of studies, the author considers that the limits of the application of echocardiography in sports medicine cannot yet be seen. The development of the ultrasound machines will allow the extension of the investigation field.

Systolic time intervals at rest and during exercise in sportsmen.

The authors using non-invasive methods, have studied left ventricular performance at rest and during training of sportsmen, taking into consideration the period of activity (during resting, training and competition periods). The studied subjects belonged to three groups (football, basketball and athletics). They all had more than 5 years of performance training. The obtained values are compared with data obtained from a control group of untrained subjects in the same age group. Determination of systolic time intervals has been done using mechanophonocardiographic tracing, registered at rest and during various exercise intensities, measuring PEP, LVET and Weissler ratio. Obtained data have been correlated with oxygen consumption, heart rate and blood pressure. Systolic time intervals measured at rest have been compared with the values obtained by Weissler from untrained subjects. Regression equations are given for values obtained in exercise tests in the case of sportsmen as well as for sedentary persons. In conclusion the authors stress the importance of systolic time intervals determinations for indirect estimation of left ventricular performance at rest and during exercise tests. From the presented data results the importance of PEP and Weissler ratio, which parametres the authors recommend to be systematically determined in the case of performance sportsmen. The most significant modifications are recorded when values are compared for the same subject during all the three periods of activity.

[Laboratory studies of the effect of Pavulon on the blood pressure in induced autonomic dystonias]. / Cercetari de laborator referitoare la influenta Pavulon-ului asupra presiunii sanguine, în functie de unele distonii vegetative provocate.

In experimental studies performed in dogs Pavulon enhances the hypertensive effects of para- and orthosympathicomymetics (nicotinelike and liberation of cathecholamine respectively), parasympaticolytics lowering essentially the rise of the blood pressure induced by Pavulon, which sympathicolytics--depending on the dose administered--can decrease until zero. These facts have a significant role in the anesthesia and intensive care practice.