Echocardiographic Assessment of Floorball Athletes Engaged in Mixed-Type Exercise

Abstract

Background: The athlete’s heart undergoes structural and functional adaptations due to both isotonic and isometric exercise. Floorball, a mixed-type sport incorporating elements of both, remains underexplored in this context. Objectives: This study aimed to assess echocardiographic changes in professional floorball athletes. Methods: Twenty members of the national floorball team, each with at least five years of continuous training, were included. After informed consent was obtained, participants underwent transthoracic echocardiography, including tissue Doppler imaging, global longitudinal strain (GLS), Global Circumferential Strain (GCS), and strain assessment of the left atrium (LA) and right ventricle (RV) using TOMTEC software. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 and compared with existing literature. Results: Among male athletes, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD: 5.6 cm) approached the upper normal limit. Left Ventricular End-Diastolic Volume Index (LVEDVI: 76 cc/m2) exceeded standard values. While left ventricular mass was increased (117 ± 36.96 g/m2), wall thickness remained normal, suggesting eccentric hypertrophy. Left Atrial Volume Index (LAVI) was slightly elevated in males; Right Atrial Volume Index (RAVI) was normal in both sexes. All measurements were within normal limits in female athletes. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), GLS, GCS, and RV strain were normal in both sexes. However, LA contractile phase strain was mildly reduced. Conclusions: Floorball athletes demonstrated echocardiographic patterns reflective of mixed exercise-induced cardiac remodeling, notably eccentric hypertrophy in males. Slight reductions in LA contractile strain suggest early atrial adaptation. These findings, distinct from prior reports, underscore the need for larger studies to delineate the cardiac effects of mixed-type sports.