Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32215713›Full record

SynthesisInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2020

Heart rate variability as a measure of mental stress in surgery: a systematic review.

Anne-Fleur The, Iris Reijmerink, Maarten van der Laan, Fokie Cnossen

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

33 citing papers in PubMed.

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  7. From incision to implantation: holter-based stress profiling in ophthalmology residents during cataract surgery.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Anne-Fleur TheDivision of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0303-2043
Iris ReijmerinkDivision of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Maarten van der LaanDivision of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Fokie CnossenDepartment of Artificial Intelligence, Bernoulli Institute of Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands. f.cnossen@rug.nl.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThere is increasing interest in the use of heart rate variability (HRV) as an objective measurement of mental stress in the surgical setting. To identify areas of improvement, the aim of our study was to review current use of HRV measurements in the surgical setting, evaluate the different methods used for the analysis of HRV, and to assess whether HRV is being measured correctly.

methodsA systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). 17 studies regarding HRV as a measurement of mental stress in the surgical setting were included and analysed.

results24% of the studies performed long-term measurements (24 h and longer) to assess the long-term effects of and recovery from mental stress. In 24% of the studies, artefact correction took place.

conclusionsHRV showed to be a good objective assessment method of stress induced in the workplace environment: it was able to pinpoint stressors during operations, determine which operating techniques induced most stress for surgeons, and indicate differences in stress levels between performing and assisting surgery. For future research, this review recommends using singular guidelines to standardize research, and performing artefact correction. This will improve further evaluation of the long-term effects of mental stress and its recovery.

Indexed as

General SurgeryHeart RateHumansOccupational StressStress, PsychologicalSurgeonsHeart rate variabilityMental stressOccupational stressSurgery

Identifiers

PMID32215713
PMCPMC7452878

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.