Findings from S. Caselli and Co-Researchers Advance Knowledge in Cardiology.

According to the authors of recent research from Rome, Italy, "Aims We sought to investigate the systolic time interval (STI) and efficiency of left ventricular (LV) contraction comparatively in elite athletes and healthy sedentary controls by means of three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE). Methods and results Four hundred and twenty-nine elite athletes, involved in skill (n = 41), power (n = 63), mixed (n = 167), and endurance (n 158) disciplines and 98 sedentary controls, matched for age, underwent 3DE."

"By off-line analysis, we measured the absolute and relative (normalized by the R-R interval) timing of LV systolic emptying (STI and STI%) and the systolic flow velocity …