Key result
Resting HRV strongly predicts minimum diving heart rate, showing robust correlation in men.
Why the study?
The individual course of cardiac response to diving is uncertain, prompting investigation into whether resting regulatory heart rate determinants can predict it.
Does resting heart rate variability predict the cardiodepressive response to simulated diving in healthy volunteers?
Observational (n=65)
No
Does resting heart rate variability predict the cardiodepressive response to simulated diving in healthy volunteers?
Resting short-term heart rate variability can predict the magnitude of bradycardia during the diving reflex, with notable gender differences.
Resting short-term HRV was associated with simulated diving bradycardia in men; leaves open clinical relevance and requires prospective validation.
A characteristic feature of the cardiac response to diving is the uncertainty in predicting individual course. The aim of the study was to determine whether resting regulatory heart rate determinants assessed before diving may be predictors of cardiac response in a simulated diving test. The research was conducted with 65 healthy volunteers (37 women and 28 men) with an average age of 21.13 years (20–27 years) and a BMI of 21.49 kg/m2 (16.60–28.98). The simulated diving test consisted of stopping breathing after maximum inhaling and voluntarily immersing the face in water (8–10 °C) for as long as possible. The measurements included heart rate variability (HRV) analysis before diving and determination of the course of the cardiac response to diving—minimum and maximum heart rate (HR). The results indicate that minimum HR during diving (MIN_div) is dependent on the short-term HRV measures, which proves the strong influence of the parasympathetic system on the MIN_div. The lack of dependence of MIN_div on short-term HRV in women may be associated with differences in neurogenic HR regulation in women and men. In conclusion, cardiac response to simulated diving is strictly dependent on the autonomic regulation of the heart rhythm under resting conditions. The course of the cardiac response to diving and its relationship with resting HRV appears to be gender dependent.
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Malinowski et al. (2023) conducted an observational in Healthy volunteers (n=65). Simulated diving test (apnea and facial immersion in cold water) vs. Resting state was evaluated on Minimum heart rate during diving (MIN_div) and its correlation with resting short-term HRV measures (r = -0.7758 (for MIN_div and rMSSD > median in men), p=<0.05). Resting short-term heart rate variability measures strongly predicted the minimum heart rate during simulated diving, particularly in men.
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