Left ventricular dynamics during recovery from exercise

Left ventricular dynamics during recovery were measured in dogs, 3 min after brief periods of mild, moderate, and severe treadmill exercise. As compared with resting values, stroke volume was unchanged, and the maximum first derivative of the left ventricular pressure was either unchanged or slightly elevated. Increases in heart rate of 20, 26, and 46 beats/min for mild, moderate, and severe exercise appear to be the major factor in augmenting cardiac output during recovery. With moderate and severe execise, left ventricular end diastolic diameter increased and continued to be elevated during recovery, whereas end systolic diameter decreased during exercise but was elevated above resting values during recovery. Therefore, with strenuous exercise, a sympathetic mediated increase in contractility recedes promptly during the postexercise period but the Frank Starling mechanism continues to be a factor.