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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Cardiovasc Transl Res / Long-Term Training Increases Atrial Fibrillation Sustainabil...
Journal of cardiovascular translational research2023; 16(5); 1205-1219; doi: 10.1007/s12265-023-10378-6

Long-Term Training Increases Atrial Fibrillation Sustainability in Standardbred Racehorses.

Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is more prevalent in athletes, and currently, the mechanisms are not fully understood. Atrial fibrillation inducibility and stability was investigated in trained and untrained Standardbred racehorses. The horses underwent echocardiography for evaluation of atrial size. High-density mapping during AF was performed, and the presence of structural remodeling, as well as the expression of inflammatory and pro-inflammatory markers in the atria, was studied. Atrial fibrillation sustained significantly longer after tachypacing in the trained horses, whereas no difference in AF inducibility was found. The untrained horses displayed a significant difference in the AF complexity when comparing right and left atria, whereas such difference was not observed in the trained animals. No evidence of increased structural remodeling or inflammation could be identified. Left atrial dimensions were not significantly increased. The increased AF sustainability in trained horses was not related to fibrosis or inflammation as seen in other animal exercise models.
© 2023. The Author(s).
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Publication Date: 2023-04-04 PubMed ID: 37014465PubMed Central: PMC10615936DOI: 10.1007/s12265-023-10378-6Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article explores how long-term training influences the sustainment of atrial fibrillation (heart rhythm disorder) in Standardbred racehorses.

Objective and Methodology

  • The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of training on atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart rhythm disorder, in Standardbred racehorses. Researchers aimed to understand more about why this condition is more prevalent in athletes.
  • To conduct this research, the team of scientists examined both trained and untrained Standardbred racehorses.
  • Echocardiography, which uses ultrasound waves to create images of the heart, was used to evaluate the size of the atria in the horses’ hearts.
  • High-density mapping during atrial fibrillation was performed to study the presence of structural remodeling and expression of inflammatory and pro-inflammatory markers in the atria.

Key Findings

  • Atrial fibrillation sustained significantly longer in the trained horses after tachypacing, a method of increasing heart rate. Surprisingly, no difference in atrial fibrillation inducibility, or the ability of the condition to start, was found between the groups.
  • In untrained horses, there was a significant difference in the complexity of atrial fibrillation when comparing the right and left atria. This difference was not observed in the trained horses.
  • Despite the heart being a muscle which can be structurally changed through exercise, the researchers didn’t find any evidence of increased structural remodeling or inflammation in the atria.
  • Similarly, despite training, the left atrial dimensions were not significantly increased in the horses.

Implications

  • The main finding of this research is that increased training leads to higher sustainment of atrial fibrillation, but this isn’t due to typical reasons such as inflammation or changes to the structure of the heart tissue (fibrosis) as seen in other animal exercise models.
  • This finding suggests other mechanisms might be at play, which future research will need to uncover to fully understand why atrial fibrillation is more common in athletes, and specifically how training might contribute to this.

Cite This Article

APA
Carstensen H, Nissen SD, Saljic A, Hesselkilde EM, van Hunnik A, Hohl M, Sattler SM, Fløgstad C, Hopster-Iversen C, Verheule S, Böhm M, Schotten U, Jespersen T, Buhl R. (2023). Long-Term Training Increases Atrial Fibrillation Sustainability in Standardbred Racehorses. J Cardiovasc Transl Res, 16(5), 1205-1219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12265-023-10378-6

Publication

Journal of cardiovascular translational research
ISSN: 1937-5395
NlmUniqueID: 101468585
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 16
Issue: 5
Pages: 1205-1219

Researcher Affiliations

Carstensen, Helena
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegaard Allé 5, 2630, Taastrup, Denmark.
Nissen, Sarah Dalgas
  • Laboratory of Cardiac Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark. sarahnissen@sund.ku.dk.
Saljic, Arnela
  • Laboratory of Cardiac Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hesselkilde, Eva Melis
  • Laboratory of Cardiac Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.
van Hunnik, Arne
  • Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Hohl, Mathias
  • Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital, Saarland University, Homburg, Saar, Germany.
Sattler, Stefan Michael
  • Laboratory of Cardiac Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Department of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.
Fløgstad, Cecilie
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegaard Allé 5, 2630, Taastrup, Denmark.
Hopster-Iversen, Charlotte
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegaard Allé 5, 2630, Taastrup, Denmark.
Verheule, Sander
  • Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Böhm, Michael
  • Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital, Saarland University, Homburg, Saar, Germany.
Schotten, Ulrich
  • Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Jespersen, Thomas
  • Laboratory of Cardiac Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Buhl, Rikke
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegaard Allé 5, 2630, Taastrup, Denmark.

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Atrial Fibrillation
  • Heart Atria
  • Echocardiography
  • Inflammation

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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