The effects of cataract surgery on autonomic heart rate control: a prospective cross-sectional and analytical study

• Published in: Clinics (São Paulo, Brazil) Vol. 74; p. e809
• Main Authors: Aoki, Ricardo H, Bezerra, Italla Maria Pinheiro, de Almeida-Júnior, Alvaro Dantas, de A. Barbosa, Renata Thaís, Valenti, Vitor E, Oliveira, Fernando R, Roque, Adriano L, Júnior, Hugo Macedo Ferraz e Souza, Garner, David M, Raimundo, Rodrigo D, de Abreu, Luiz Carlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Elsevier España, S.L.U 2019; Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina / USP; Elsevier España
• Subjects: Aged; Autonomic Nervous System; Autonomic Nervous System - physiopathology; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular System; Cataract; Cataract Extraction - adverse effects; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Heart Rate - physiology; Heart Rate Variability; Humans; Lens Implantation, Intraocular - adverse effects; Male; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Middle Aged; Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; Original; Prospective Studies; Reference Values; Statistics, Nonparametric; Time Factors; Trigeminal Nerve - physiopathology; Autonomic Nervous System; Cataract; Cardiovascular System; Heart Rate Variability; Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures
• ISSN: 1807-5932; 1980-5322; 1980-5322
• DOI: 10.6061/clinics/2019/e809

We aimed to evaluate the effects of cataract surgery on cardiac autonomic modulation. A cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted at the Hospital Maria Braido in the city of São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, between 2015 and 2016. We investigated 19 patients of both sexes who were all over 50 years old; all patients had a diagnosis of senile or bilateral cataracts and were recommended to undergo implantation of the intraocular lens. Heart rate variability (HRV) was evaluated before, during and after cataract surgery. There were no significant changes in the time and geometric domains of HRV before, during or after surgery. The high-frequency (HF) band in normalized units (nu) on the spectral analysis significantly increased (p=0.02, Cohen's d=0.9, large effect size). However, the low-frequency (LF) band in nu significantly decreased during surgery (p=0.02, Cohen's d=0.9, large effect size). Throughout the intraocular lens implantation cataract surgery, there was an increase in parasympathetic modulation and a decrease in the sympathetic component of the heart rate (HR). We propose that this result is attributable to the supine position of the patients during surgery and the trigeminal reflex.