REMOTE ASSESSMENT OF CARDIODYNAMIC CHANGES IN COMPETITIVE CYCLISTS DURING AN INCREMENTAL CYCLE-ERGOMETER TEST TO EXHAUSTION: A PILOT STUDY

Seven male competitive road cyclists (22.3 ± 3.2 years; 73.9 ± 5.5 kg; 185 ± 7.9 cm), with 7.0 ± 6.8 years of racing experience and approximately 7 hours per week of specific training, participated in a laboratory-based cardiopulmonary incremental test to exhaustion. Each cyclist performed the test on their personal bicycle, with the rear wheel replaced by an electromechanical system that allowed real-time measurement of the mechanical power output generated during pedaling. Throughout the test, beat-by-beat cardiovascular variables— including stroke volume, heart rate, and cardiac output—were continuously assessed noninvasively using a custom-designed wearable device based on electrical impedance cardiography. Using proprietary telemedicine software, bioimpedance data collected during the tests were transmitted for remote acquisition and processing by an expert medical team. The experimental sessions were conducted in a dedicated laboratory of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy. The results demonstrated a progressive increase in cardiac output up to exhaustion, driven by concurrent increases in heart rate and stroke volume. The rise in stroke volume was attributed to enhanced myocardial contractility and the maintenance of ventricular preload. Mean arterial blood pressure remained stable until the end of the test, despite a substantial decrease in diastolic pressure.