A race against time: timing constraints of cardiac filling and athletic performance
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study reveals that endurance athletes' slow resting heart rates provide additional time for ventricular filling. During intense exercise, athletes compensate for dramatically shortened filling times by achieving remarkably higher flow rates, particularly during systole. These differences allow athletes to maintain larger stroke volumes at both rest and at high heart rates, producing superior cardiac outputs and highlighting a key physiological mechanism underlying endurance performance.
Institutions: The University of Melbourne, St Vincents Institute of Medical Research, Australian Catholic University, Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven, Jessa Hospital, Hasselt University, KU Leuven, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Award: G5179366720
OpenAlex ID: W7140640699