Nonstationarity and duration of the cardiac interval time series in assessing the functional state of operator personnel

The influence of nonstationarity in the time series of cardiac intervals on the assessment of the functional state (FS) of operator personnel was analyzed with a three-factor model of heart rhythm variability (HRV). ECG recordings were made in supine position at rest and in the sedentary position before and after important operator testing. In all three cases, the FS assessments were not influenced by nonstationarity of the input data. The effect of nonstationarity was also negligible for some particular HRV indices. Reliable assessments could be obtained from relatively short samples (256 down to 32 RR intervals) with prior norming of the factor indices for the corresponding segment length. The influence of the time series duration on the HRV indices was examined in various FSs; stable indices and proper recording conditions were determined.