Changes in Heart Rate and Rhythm During a Crossover Study of Simulated Commercial Flight in Older and Vulnerable Participants.

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Elderly passengers and those with preexisting disease are flying with increasing frequency and in-flight cardiac emergencies are a more frequent occurrence. We conducted a study of the physiological effects of simulated cabin altitudes and resulting lower oxygen levels among such passengers. Methods: We monitored 41 participants in a hypobaric chamber for 2 days, one at an equivalent of 7,000 feet altitude (regulations limit pressurization to 8,000 feet) for a 4-5 h simulated flight and the other at ground level using generalized least squares models to account for repeated measures. We evaluated associations between simulated flight, heart rate (HR) and measures of heart rate variability(HRV) (root mean square of successive R-R interval differences [RMSSD], standard deviation

SUBMITTER: Meyer MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6821722 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature