ArticleThe Journal of international medical research2021
Heart rate variability and subsequent psychological distress among family members of intensive care unit patients.
Article in The Journal of international medical research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Anxiety, depression and distress in family members of people who have experienced a critical care admission: a systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis.Journal of intensive care · 2025Article
- Posttraumatic Stress, Posttraumatic Growth, and Heart Rate Variability Among Breast Cancer Survivors.Noro psikiyatri arsivi · 2025Article
- Mitigating uncertainty and improving nursing quality: information needs for patients and their families regarding intensive care unit (ICU) tours for lung cancer surgery.American journal of cancer research · 2025Article
- Unveiling the Hidden Burden: Mapping the Landscape of Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Research. A Bibliometric Study and Visualization Analysis.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether heart rate variability (HRV; a physiological measure of acute stress) is associated with persistent psychological distress among family members of adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients.
methodsThis prospective study investigated family members of patients admitted to a study ICU. Participants' variability in heart rate tracings were measured by low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). Questionnaires were completed 3 months after enrollment to ascertain outcome rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
resultsNinety-nine participants were enrolled (median LF/HF ratio, 0.92 [interquartile range, 0.64-1.38]). Of 92 participants who completed the 3-month follow-up, 29 (32%) had persistent anxiety. Logistic regression showed that LF/HF ratio (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43, 1.53) was not associated with 3-month outcomes. In an exploratory analysis, DFA α (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87, 0.99), α
conclusionAlmost one-third of family members experienced anxiety at three months after enrollment. HRV, measured by LF/HF ratio, was not a predictor of psychologic distress, however, exploratory analyses indicated that DFA may be associated with PTSD outcomes.
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Registered trials
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