Suitability of Ultra-Short-Term Heart Rate Variability in Military Trainees.

Mubarak J Alalyan,Andrew A Flatt,Syed Shahid Habib,Shaea A Alkahtani

doi:10.3390/healthcare8040409

Abstract

We aimed to (a) evaluate the agreement between ultra-short-term and criterion resting heart rate variability (HRV) measures in military trainees, and (b) compare associations between HRV recording lengths and body composition. HRV recordings were performed for 10 min in 27 military male students. Mean RR interval, the root-mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), RMSSD:RR interval ratio, standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals (SDNN), and SDNN:RR interval ratio were determined from the last 5 min of the 10-min recording and considered the criterion. Parameters were also recorded in successive 1-min epochs from the 5-min stabilization period. No differences were observed between criterion values and any of the 1-min epochs (p > 0.05). Effect sizes ranged from −0.36–0.35. Intra-class correlations ranged from 0.83–0.99. Limits of agreement ranged from 38.3–78.4 ms for RR interval, 18.8–30.0 ms for RMSSD, 1.9–3.1 for RMSSD:RR, 24.1–31.4 ms for SDNN, and 2.5–3.0 for SDNN:RR. Body fat% was associated (p < 0.05) with all HRV parameters at varying time segments. A 1-min HRV recording preceded by a 1-min stabilization period seems to be a suitable alternative to criterion measures. Ultra-short procedures may facilitate routine HRV tracking in tactical populations for status-monitoring purposes.

Highlights

Imbalanced autonomic nervous system functioning is observed in a variety of cardiovascular [1], metabolic [2], and neurocognitive [3] disorders
Limits of agreement ranged from 38.3–78.4 ms for RR interval, 18.8–30.0 ms for root-mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), 1.9–3.1 for RMSSD:RR, 24.1–31.4 ms for standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals (SDNN), and 2.5–3.0 for SDNN:RR
Post-hoc analyses showed that RMSSD and RMSSD: RR from min 0–1 were different from min 3–4 (p < 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

Imbalanced autonomic nervous system functioning is observed in a variety of cardiovascular [1], metabolic [2], and neurocognitive [3] disorders. This has generated greater interest in identifying convenient, non-invasive markers of ANS status. Heart rate variability (HRV) is regarded as such a marker, reflecting autonomic regulation of cardiac cycle intervals. Traditional acquisition procedures for establishing short-term HRV in clinical or laboratory settings involve a 5-min RR interval recording preceded by a 5-min stabilization period. Research from the field of sports medicine [4], and more recently, cardiovascular medicine [5], have revealed that periodic HRV assessment is likely insufficient for practical use. Near-daily recordings are preferred to create an ongoing HRV profile, enabling quantification of weekly averaged values and the magnitude of dispersion across days

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