High Level Cycling Performance 10 Years after Cardiac Transplantation

Abstract

Purpose: To describe cycling performance in a well-trained male a decade after Cardiac Transplantation (CTX). Case report:The patient was diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy at 14 years of age and underwent CTX at 35 years. Exercise training began 3 weeks after CTX, and progressively increased in volume and intensity. Ten years after CTX he participated in twelve one-day cycling races over an eight-month period. Maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test was performed before the study. One race was monitored using a power meter.Results: VO 2 peak (47.2 mL/kg/min), maximal HR (161 bpm), and oxygen pulse (18.8 mL/bpm) were 113%, 92%, and 118% of age-predicted values respectively. HR, W, and relative VO 2 at the ventilatory threshold and at the respiratory compensation point were 128 bpm, 120 W, and 75% VO 2 peak, and 142 bpm, 155 W, and 86% VO 2 peak respectively. Cycling economy was ~80 W per liters per O 2 /min. The race was completed in 7 hours and 56 minutes, at an average of 141 bpm and 162 W, remaining between moderate-to-high intensity (4 h 2 min), and above high-to-severe intensity (2 h 19 min). Conclusion:Long-term aerobic training may result in a remarkable cycling performance a decade after CTX, likely because of cardiovascular adaptations.