Clinical trial NCT04487899: Analysis of Heart Rate Variability During Emergency Flight Simulator Missions in Fighter Pilots
Official title: Analysis of Heart Rate Variability During Emergency Flight Simulator Missions in Fighter Pilots
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Heart Rate Variability
Autonomic Nervous System
Keywords: Emergency missions
Assesment
Military Health Services
heart rate variability
autonomic nervous system
Lead sponsor: Universidad de Extremadura
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2020-07-27
Enrollment: 18
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: CASE_ONLY
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The selection of the sample was made in the accessible population of the Talavera la Real Air Base (Badajoz).

Brief summary: 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).

Detailed description: 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:

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

Eligibility criteria: 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.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (RMSSD)
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Stress Score
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Sympathetic/parasympathetic ratio (S/PS)
timeFrame: 1 week
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Standard Deviation 1 (SD1)
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Standard Deviation 2 (SD2)
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Min_HR
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Max_HR
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Mean_HR
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: pNN50
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Low Frequency Power (LF)
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: High Frequency Power (HF)
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Low/High Frequency ratio (HF/LF)
timeFrame: 1 week
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Badajoz
country: Spain
facility: Universidad de Extremadura
Study officials:
affiliation: Universidad de Extremadura
name: Luis Espejo-Antúnez, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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