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June 14, 2026Frontiers in PhysiologyOpen Access

Heart rate variability findings in neurological decompression sickness: an exploratory case series

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Key result

HRV analysis reveals markedly heterogeneous cardiac rhythm alterations in divers with neurological decompression sickness.

  • n=8

Why the study?

Neurological decompression sickness is a potentially severe diving complication, but its effects on autonomic cardiovascular regulation remain poorly understood.

Does neurological decompression sickness alter heart rate variability patterns in divers?

Population

Eight divers diagnosed with NDCS at a tertiary hyperbaric medicine center

Comparison

HRV evaluated as absolute values vs Z-score normalized values relative to published reference populations

Design

Exploratory case series

Authors

GSGerald Schmitz

Discussion

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Overview

NDCS HRV patterns require prospective validation; leaves open any role in risk stratification or HBOT guidance.

Key Points

  • To explore heart rate variability (HRV) patterns in divers with neurological decompression sickness (NDCS) before treatment.
  • Exploratory case series involving eight divers diagnosed with NDCS
  • Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring before hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
  • HRV analysis included time-domain, frequency-domain, and nonlinear metrics.
  • Marked interindividual variability in heart rate variability indices observed among cases
  • Some divers showed elevated HRV, while others had reduced or reference-level HRV values
  • Entropy measures displayed variability, with specific cases showing significantly lower values.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=8)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does neurological decompression sickness alter heart rate variability patterns in divers?

P
Population
8 divers diagnosed with neurological decompression sickness evaluated with continuous electrocardiographic monitoring before hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
E
Exposure
Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring and heart rate variability (HRV) analysis prior to hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
C
Comparator
Published reference populations (Z-score normalized values)
O
Outcome
Multidomain HRV patterns (time-domain, frequency-domain, and nonlinear metrics)surrogate

Neurological decompression sickness is associated with measurable but heterogeneous disturbances in autonomic cardiovascular regulation detectable through HRV analysis.

Limitations

  • small sample size
  • retrospective design
  • spontaneous respiration
  • methodological sensitivity of entropy estimates

Cite This Study

Gerald Schmitz (2026) conducted an observational in Neurological decompression sickness (n=8). Neurological decompression sickness vs. Published reference populations was evaluated on Multidomain heart rate variability patterns (time-domain, frequency-domain, and nonlinear metrics). Among 8 divers with neurological decompression sickness, heart rate variability analysis demonstrated marked interindividual variability and heterogeneous alterations in cardiac rhythm dynamics.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2e44a3b1cc60ccdea8a21dhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1826066
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Case report: Biphasic autonomic response in decompression sickness: HRV and sinoatrial findings2025 · 3 citations
  2. 2Heart Rate Variability During and After a Closed-Circuit Rebreather Dive: A Case Study in Autonomic Regulation2025 · 1 citations
  3. 3Heart rate variability changes as an indicator of decompression-related physiological stress2018 · 13 citations
  4. 4Assessment of a dive incident using heart rate variability2020 · 4 citations
  5. 5Commentary2001