Heart Rate Variability and Performance of Commercial Airline Pilots during Flight Simulations

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-01, Vol.16 (2), p.237
• Main Authors: Cao, Xiaodong, MacNaughton, Piers, Cadet, Leslie R, Cedeno-Laurent, Jose Guillermo, Flanigan, Skye, Vallarino, Jose, Donnelly-McLay, Deborah, Christiani, David C, Spengler, John D, Allen, Joseph G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Air quality; Air quality measurements; Air temperature; Air traffic control; Aircraft accidents & safety; Aircraft noise; Aircraft vibration; Airlines; Aviation; Carbon dioxide; Carbon Dioxide - pharmacology; Cognitive ability; Cortisol; Environmental conditions; Flight; Flight simulation; Heart rate; Heart Rate - drug effects; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nervous system; Occupational health; Outdoor air quality; Passenger aircraft; Physiology; Pilots; Psychological stress; Saliva; Simulation; Stress; Stress response; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Studies; Ventilation; Vibration; Workload
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16020237

Pilots undergo a variety of stressors that may affect their performance during all phases of flight. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been considered as a reliable indicator of the parasympathetic and sympathetic activities of human autonomic nervous system, which can be used to characterize the sympathetic stress response of pilots during flight. In this study, thirty active commercial airline pilots were recruited to fly three flight segments in a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified A320 flight simulator with each segment at a different carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration on the flight deck. The pilots performed a series of maneuvers of varying difficulty, and their performance was evaluated by FAA designated pilot examiners. The HRV metrics (SDNN, RMSSD and LF/HF ratio) of each pilot both before and during flight simulations were measured with a Movisens EcgMove3 sensor. The average SDNN, RMSSD and LF/HF ratio of the pilots during flight simulations were 34.1 ± 12.7 ms, 23.8 ± 10.2 ms and 5.7 ± 2.8 respectively. Decreased HRV was associated with aging, obesity and performing difficult maneuvers. Both CO₂ exposure and HRV had an independent effect on the pilot performance, while their interaction was not significant. The generalized additive mixed effect model results showed that a pilot performed better on a maneuver when his stress response was lower, as indicated by higher SDNN and RMSSD and lower LF/HF ratio. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in SDNN (21.97 ms) and RMSSD (16.00 ms) and an IQR decrease in LF/HF ratio (4.69) was associated with an increase in the odds of passing a maneuver by 37%, 22% and 20%, respectively.