Cardiac diagnostics of student-athletes by the HRV method

Abstract

In sports practice, the method of monitoring the heart rate variability (HRV) of athletes is used to control, correct and personalize the training process. However, scientific research on the cardio-assessment of the adaptive capabilities of the organism of student-athletes to increased psychophysical stress is not enough. Purpose of the study: to conduct a comprehensive HRV-testing to determine the level of vegetative balance and adaptive reserves of the organism of student-athletes. Materials & Methods. The research project involved 55 students of the Volga Research Medical University in Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) at the age of 18-20 years. Of these, 23 people were engaged in fitness aerobics (fitness group) and 22 students were engaged in swimming (swimmers group). The training process took place 4 times a week for 2 hours. Testing of HRV indices was carried out at the beginning of the school day, in a state of physiological rest, after two months of systematic training. For registration and analysis of HRV parameters, we used a hardware sports testing system “Medical Soft” (version “MS FIT Pro”, Russia). Registration of heart rate at rest (HBR) was carried out, the results of statistical and spectral indicators of the heart rate of athletes SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50 were analyzed, the total power of the spectrum (TP), the power of the spectrum in the region of low (LF), high (HF) and very low frequencies were determined. (VLF), the vegetative balance index (LF / HF) and the integral parameter of the stress index (SI) were calculated. The normality of the distribution of parameter values was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Result. During the complex hardware testing of students involved in various sports, different levels of statistical and spectral values of heart rate variability were recorded in athletes of various specializations. Compared with the results of the examination of athletes in the fitness group, the group of swimmers had lower SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50 indices, a higher HBR level, their total spectrum power was reduced, the ratio of waves of different frequencies (LF, HF, VLF) was not in optimal range. The stress index was outside the upper limit of the physiological range. The results obtained allow us to assume that the students of the fitness group have a higher level of fitness and adaptive capabilities, in comparison with the representatives of the water sport. Conclusions. The use of the HRV technique allows a sports doctor and coach to determine the state of the vegetative balance and adaptive capabilities in the body of student-athletes, to promptly correct the training process program in order to prevent the development of serious complications from the cardiovascular system of trainees.