Fig.1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Subjects' characteristics (mean ± S_D_)_
| Subjects | Total (N=16) |
|---|---|
| Age (years) | 22 ± 2 |
| Male (m) / Female (f) | 9 m / 7 f |
| Height (cm) | 177 ± 10 |
| Body mass (kg) | 69 ± 12 |
The mean slopes and their standard deviations (SD) of the regression lines describing the time interval between the start of the ejection phase and the corresponding heart cycle marker_ All slopes were found to differ from zero, except for the C-point_
| Slope of | Mean ± SD | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| C-point | 0.02 ± 0.06 | 0.255 |
| Aortic arch maximum | 0.07 ± 0.06 | < 0.001 |
| Descending aorta maximum | 0.17 ± 0.07 | < 0.001 |
| Aortic valves close | 0.16 ± 0.06 | < 0.001 |
Moment of occurrence of the C-point compared with all other heart cycle markers in all 16 subjects_ Paired 2-sided t-tests were applied to the C-point and all other markers to compare the means, both in rest and after exercise_ All markers differed from the moment of the C-point, except the moment of maximum diameter of the aortic arch_
| C-point compared with | p-value | |
|---|---|---|
| Rest (RR=1000 ms) | Aortic valves open | < 0.001 |
| Aortic arch maximum | > 0.05 | |
| Descending aorta maximum | < 0.001 | |
| Aortic valves close | < 0.001 | |
| Exercise (RR=500 ms) | Aortic valves open | < 0.001 |
| Aortic Arch maximum | > 0.05 | |
| Descending aorta maximum | < 0.05 | |
| Aortic valves close | < 0.001 |