Basketball is a sport with high metabolic and cardiovascular demands, characterized by rapid transitions, intermittent sprints, and maximal efforts. Although physical activity is a cornerstone of health, the hemodynamic stress experienced by athletes, combined with silent cardiac diseases, can sometimes tragically result in sudden cardiac death. Cardiovascular monitoring through wearable sensors represents an optimal strategy for identifying these conditions and preventing the onset of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death. This work analyzes cardiovascular monitoring in basketball through a multidisciplinary approach that combines cardiac anatomy, mechanics, and electrophysiology with the latest innovations in biomedical engineering. This study examines the physiology of the athlete's heart and the main risk factors associated with sudden cardiac arrest, discussing current prevention and screening strategies using wearable devices. Based on these premises, this work analyzed and discussed the cardiovascular responses of eight basketball players from the Pallacanestro Urbania sports club through the acquisition of complete 6-lead electrocardiographic recordings using the AliveCor KardiaMobile 6L. To obtain a comprehensive assessment of each individual's condition, two recordings were acquired for every athlete: the first measurement was taken while the subject was at rest to obtain a baseline ECG, and the second was taken immediately after training to evaluate how the athlete responded to the physical exertion induced by exercise. Analysis of the ECG recordings shows that all athletes exhibited a natural increase in heart rate and, therefore, a response consistent with the type of training they had undergone. Furthermore, a more in-depth analysis indicates that all athletes were fit for competitive sports participation. The results confirm both the importance and the practicality of using wearable devices for screening during physical activity, highlighting the fundamental role of biomedical engineering in developing prevention protocols aimed at monitoring the health of both professional and amateur athletes. In conclusion, the integration of portable devices marks the definitive transition from purely outpatient cardiological prevention to dynamic and predictive monitoring directly on the playing field.
La pallacanestro è uno sport ad alto impegno metabolico e cardiovascolare, caratterizzato da transizioni rapide, scatti intermittenti e sforzi massimali. Sebbene l’attività fisica rappresenti un pilastro della salute, lo stress emodinamico a cui sono sottoposti gli atleti, unito a patologie cardiache silenti, può talvolta tragicamente sfociare in eventi di morte cardiaca improvvisa. Il monitoraggio cardiovascolare tramite sensoristica indossabile rappresenta una strategia ottimale al fine di individuare queste patologie e scongiurare l’insorgenza di infarti e morti cardiache improvvise. Il presente lavoro analizza il monitoraggio cardiovascolare nella pallacanestro attraverso un approccio multidisciplinare che unisce l’anatomia, la meccanica e l’elettrofisiologia cardiaca alle più recenti innovazioni dell’ingegneria biomedica. In questo studio viene esaminata la fisiologia del cuore d’atleta e i principali fattori di rischio legati all’arresto cardiaco improvviso, discutendo le attuali strategie di prevenzione e di screening tramite dispositivi indossabili. Sulla base di questi presupposti, il presente lavoro ha analizzato e discusso le risposte cardiovascolari di 8 atleti di pallacanestro, appartenenti alla società sportiva Pallacanestro Urbania, attraverso l’acquisizione di tracciati elettrocardiografici completi a 6 derivazioni tramite l’AliveCor KardiaMobile 6L. Per avere una visione completa delle condizioni dell’individuo che si vuole studiare sono state effettuate due acquisizione per ogni atleta: una prima misurazione relativa al soggetto a riposo in modo da avere un ECG di riferimento e una seconda misurazione relativa al soggetto a fine allenamento in modo da studiare come quest’ultimo ha reagito allo sforzo indotto dall’attività fisica. Dall’analisi dei tracciati ECG si evince che tutti gli atleti mostrano un naturale innalzamento della frequenza cardiaca e, quindi, una risposta coerente alla tipologia di allenamento a cui sono stati sottoposti. Inoltre, un’analisi più approfondita mostra come tutti gli atleti siano idonei all’attività agonistica. I risultati confermano l’importanza e la praticità dell’utilizzo di dispositivi indossabili per lo screening durante l’attività fisica, confermando il ruolo fondamentale dell’ingegneria biomedica nello stilare protocolli di prevenzione atti a monitorare la salute dell’atleta professionista e non. In conclusione, l’integrazione di dispositivi portatili segna il passaggio definitivo da una prevenzione cardiologica puramente ambulatoriale ad un monitoraggio dinamico e predittivo direttamente sul campo da gioco.
Monitoraggio cardiovascolare negli atleti praticanti la pallacanestro
ZOLFANELLI, LEONARDO
2025/2026
Abstract
Basketball is a sport with high metabolic and cardiovascular demands, characterized by rapid transitions, intermittent sprints, and maximal efforts. Although physical activity is a cornerstone of health, the hemodynamic stress experienced by athletes, combined with silent cardiac diseases, can sometimes tragically result in sudden cardiac death. Cardiovascular monitoring through wearable sensors represents an optimal strategy for identifying these conditions and preventing the onset of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death. This work analyzes cardiovascular monitoring in basketball through a multidisciplinary approach that combines cardiac anatomy, mechanics, and electrophysiology with the latest innovations in biomedical engineering. This study examines the physiology of the athlete's heart and the main risk factors associated with sudden cardiac arrest, discussing current prevention and screening strategies using wearable devices. Based on these premises, this work analyzed and discussed the cardiovascular responses of eight basketball players from the Pallacanestro Urbania sports club through the acquisition of complete 6-lead electrocardiographic recordings using the AliveCor KardiaMobile 6L. To obtain a comprehensive assessment of each individual's condition, two recordings were acquired for every athlete: the first measurement was taken while the subject was at rest to obtain a baseline ECG, and the second was taken immediately after training to evaluate how the athlete responded to the physical exertion induced by exercise. Analysis of the ECG recordings shows that all athletes exhibited a natural increase in heart rate and, therefore, a response consistent with the type of training they had undergone. Furthermore, a more in-depth analysis indicates that all athletes were fit for competitive sports participation. The results confirm both the importance and the practicality of using wearable devices for screening during physical activity, highlighting the fundamental role of biomedical engineering in developing prevention protocols aimed at monitoring the health of both professional and amateur athletes. In conclusion, the integration of portable devices marks the definitive transition from purely outpatient cardiological prevention to dynamic and predictive monitoring directly on the playing field.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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MONITORAGGIO CARDIOVASCOLARE NEGLI ATLETI PRATICANTI LA PALLACANESTRO -Leonardo Zolfanelli.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12075/27265