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The surgeon's mental load during decision making at various stages of operations

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Summary

In surgeons while opening the wound, during the operation proper, closing the skin and immediately after the operation, the ECG was recorded telemetrically for 5-min periods. From the ECG recordings, indices reflecting cardiac arrhythmia and emotional level were calculated. It is concluded that the process of decision making during the vital stages of operations causes a fall in the CHRV (the coefficient of heart rate variability), S2 (the variance of R-R intervals) and VR (the variability range of R-R intervals). It seems that of all the indices studied, the most suitable for evaluation of the degree of mental loading due to decision making processes are the CHRV and S2.

During all the stages of surgery studied, and immediately after the operation, an increase in tonus of the sympathetic nervous system occurs in surgeons indicating a rise in emotional level.

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Abbreviations

Mo :

the modal value of R-R intervals in s

AMo :

the mode amplitude of R-R intervals in %

VR :

the variability range of R-R intervals in s

BI :

the Bajewskij index

S :

the standard deviation of R-R intervals in ms

x :

the arithmetical mean of R-R intervals in ms

CHRV :

the coefficient of the heart rate variability

S 2 :

the variance of R-R intervals in ms2

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Białystok Medical School, ul. Mickiewicza 2, 15-230, Białystok, Poland

    E. Czyżewska & K. Kiczka

  2. Railway Hospital in Warsaw, ul. Brzeska 12, 03-737, Warszawa, Poland

    A. Czarnecki

  3. The Military Institute of Aviation Medicine in Warsaw, ul. Krasińskiego 54, 01-755, Warszawa, Poland

    P. Pokinko

Authors
  1. E. Czyżewska
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  2. K. Kiczka
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  3. A. Czarnecki
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  4. P. Pokinko
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Supported by the Polish Academy of Science, project 06.7.5.3

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Czyżewska, E., Kiczka, K., Czarnecki, A. et al. The surgeon's mental load during decision making at various stages of operations. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 51, 441–446 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429080

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429080

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