Heart rate and cardiac arrhythmia during high-Gz flight.
Twenty-four pilots (age 20-32 years) were monitored with a Holter monitor during 26 hours including a high-Gz flight in order to evaluate heart rate (HR) and cardiac rhythm. Flight experience did not predict the mean in-flight HR (range 69-121 beats/minute), which decreased with increasing age and correlated to the maximum HR during sleep. We recorded maximally 27 ventricular and 97 supraventricular ectopic beats, 10 junctional rhythms, 5 gray-out, 1 vestibular symptom, and 1 instance of numbness of the feet during the flight. No causal relationship between HR, cardiac arrhythmia, or symptoms was found. Adaptation to in-flight +Gz stress takes place without significant arrhythmia and at a submaximal age-related HR.
Skyttä
J
J
Research Institute of Military Medicine, Helsinki, Finland.
Karjalainen
J
J
Aho
J
J
Laitinen
L A
LA
Lindqvist
A
A
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005387:Finland; D006112:Gravitation; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel