Doerner J, et al. - The mid-term effects of repetitive prolonged apnea in elite divers were determined with the aid of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Prolonged apnea gave rise to impressive adaptions of the cardiovascular system (dilation of the left ventricle) and hypertension due to peripheral vasoconstriction. No mid-term morphologic changes were noted in the myocardium and brain. It was shown that breath-hold (BH) divers appeared to be suitable as a model for analyzing the acute physiologic changes of prolonged apnea and hypoxemia, but not for chronic alterations.