Accuracy of detecting changes in auditory heart rate in a simulated operating room environment

The threshold for the identification of changes in heart rate and the accuracy in estimating heart rate were compared between 20 anaesthetists and 20 non-anaesthetists in a simulated operating theatre, both with and without distraction tasks. Typical operating theatre distractions were simulated by requiring anaesthetists and non-anaesthetists to perform secondary tasks. There were no differences found between the groups in identification of heart rate changes. The distraction tasks reduced performance in both groups (to a greater extent in the anaesthetists group). A change of > 10 beats per minute was required for 80% of the changes to be detected. An upward heart rate change was more easily detected than a reduction. Anaesthetists were found to be marginally better at estimating the heart rate change from an auditory tone alone. However, the study did not confirm that anaesthetists have a superior ability to detect changes in heart rate than non-anaesthetists.