The articles apply to the use of causative analysis methods in tests conducted in Polish Olympic athletes. They present a new approach to the physiological data analysis where cause-and-effect relationships between cardiovascular system function and respiratory activity are subject to evaluation and parametrization. “Our results are intended to be used for profiling the preparation of athletes to the most important sports events and designing optimal individual training plans, and should also enable a trend analysis in real-life conditions, outside a laboratory, explains Marcel Młyńczak, MEng, PhD.

The first publication, entitled “Discovery of Causal Paths in Cardiorespiratory Parameters: A Time-Independent Approach in Elite Athletes”, concentrates on estimation of global relationships between heart rate and respiratory rate and depth during an orthosthatic test. Owing to this, it will ultimately be possible to determine the most effective training modalities adapted to the nature of the specific sports discipline. The second article, entitled “Cardiorespiratory Temporal Causal Links and the Differences by Sport or Lack Thereof” provides an in-depth review of local relationships between the key parameters, i.e. relationships involving single inspirations and exhalations. “As such, differences in causative analysis parameters allow good differentiation between the athletes and the control group, and when added to a traditional analysis will allow more precise and, what is most important, objective profiling of the athlete’s disposition, explains Młyńczak.

Collaboration between Marcel Młyńczak, MEng, PhD and Hubert Krysztofiak, MD, PhD dates back to 2015 and is an effective combination of their experience and their engineering and medical expertise. Drawing on the published results, further studies are conducted and planned to investigate topics specific for the selected disciplines and groups of the best Polish athletes.

Both papers have been published in Open Access, owing to funding received from the Dean’s grant and statutory funds of the Institute of Metrology and Biomedical Engineering (Faculty of Mechatronics at the Warsaw University of Technology).

Information about the academic output of Dr Młyńczak is available in ORCID, ResearchGate and Twitter.