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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04487899

Analysis of Heart Rate Variability During Emergency Flight Simulator Missions in Fighter Pilots

The autonomous response of fighter and attack pilots who attend sessions in a flight simulator will be evaluated by measuring and analyzing heart rate variability (HRV).

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Key information

Conditions

Heart Rate Variability Autonomic Nervous System

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Universidad de Extremadura

Badajoz, 06006, Spain

About this study

The autonomous response of fighter and attack pilots during emergency situations in a flight simulator will be assessed by measuring and analysing heart rate variability (HRV). Eighteen pilots with instructor or student status assigned at the time of the evaluation to the ALA 23 district of the Talavera la Real Air Base of the Ministry of Defence of the Spanish Government (Badajoz) were studied during emergency situations in flight simulator. Subjects were assigned by non-probabilistic randomisation to an instructor group (IG; 7 subjects), and to a student group (AG; 11 subjects).

The recording of the parameters indicated corresponds to the emergency situations described above. Data collection was made in three different moments:

  • Take-off: it starts after reading the checklist until the engine fault is resolved.
  • Flight: during manoeuvres characterised by the recovery of abnormal positions.
  • Landing: where the pilot performs the landing manoeuvre, with the loss of spatial situation.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Pilots who had the status of instructor or student assigned at the time of assessment to the ALA 23 district of the Talavera la Real Air Base of the Ministry of Defense of the Government of Spain (Badajoz).

Exclusion criteria

  • Any uncontrolled neurological or cardiac disorder.
  • Being involved in ongoing medical-legal conflicts.

Treatment and study plan

Analysis of heart rate variability

Device

The HR HRV interval of the heartbeat (variations in the time interval between beats) was used as a measure of autonomous modulation, and the Firstbeat Bodyguard monitor (Firstbeat Technologies, Jyväskylä, Finland) was used to record HRV data during the session with emergency situations in the flight simulator. Data was downloaded from the devices to a computer using Firstbeat Uploader software (Firstbeat Technologies), and all R-R interval series were imported into the Kubios software package (University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland). To calculate the autonomous equilibrium, the commonly used HRV method based on the Poincaré graph was used (Brennan et al., 2001; Mourot et al., 2004).

Primary outcomes

  1. Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (RMSSD)

    Time frame: 1 week

    It indicates the degree of activation of the Parasympathetic Nervous System on the cardiovascular system. It is obtained from the square root of the mean value of the sum of the squared differences of all successive RR intervals. This parameter reports the short-term variations of the RR intervals. It is directly associated with short-term variability.

  2. Stress Score

    Time frame: 1 week

    It is an index described by Naranjo-Orellana et al. to facilitate physiological interpretation of Poincaré plot. It is expressed as the inverse of the SD2 diameter multiplied by 1000 and is considered directly proportional to the sympathetic activity in the sinus node.

  3. Sympathetic/parasympathetic ratio (S/PS)

    Time frame: 1 week

    It is also described by Naranjo-Orellana et al., S/PS is expressed as the quotient of SS and SD1, and it is considered to reflect autonomic balance - that is, the relationship between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity

Secondary outcomes

  1. Standard Deviation 1 (SD1)

    Time frame: 1 week

    It indicates the sensitivity of short-term variability in HRV non-linear spectrum. It is considered an indicator of parasympathetic activity.

  2. Standard Deviation 2 (SD2)

    Time frame: 1 week

    It is a diameter from Poincaré plot which indicates the degree of longitudinal dispersion. It is thought to reflect long-term changes in RR intervals and it is considered an inverse indicator of parasympathetic activity.

  3. Min_HR

    Time frame: 1 week

    Minimum heart rate variability.

  4. Max_HR

    Time frame: 1 week

    Maximum heart rate variability.

  5. Mean_HR

    Time frame: 1 week

    It corresponds to the interval between two beats (R peaks on the ECG).

  6. pNN50

    Time frame: 1 week

    Percentage of consecutive RR intervals that differ by more than 50 ms from each other. A high value of pNN50 provides valuable information about high spontaneous HR.

  7. Low Frequency Power (LF)

    Time frame: 1 week

    Situated between 0.04 and 0.15 Hz. In long-term recordings it provides us with more information about the activity of the SNS.

  8. High Frequency Power (HF)

    Time frame: 1 week

    They are located between 0.15 and 0.4 Hz. HF is clearly related to PNS activity and has a relaxation-related effect on HR2.

  9. Low/High Frequency ratio (HF/LF)

    Time frame: 1 week

    From low frequency and high frequency ratio of the HRV spectral analysis result we can estimate the vagal (related to relaxation and HF) and sympathetic (related to stress and LF) influence. Thus we can estimate sympathetic-vagal balance.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universidad de Extremadura

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2020
First posted
Jul 27, 2020
Registry last updated
Sep 16, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

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This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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