Cardiovascular Responses of a Stimulus Response Training Scenario

PURPOSE: <br/>Optimal training replicates the same psychophysiological responses as real life crucial incidents to enable exposure to, and practice in responding with the perceptual, motor and cognitive deficits know to occur during stressful events. The aim of this investigation was to determine the cardiovascular response of a Stimulus Response Training Scenario in a Specialist Policing unit. <br/><br/>METHODS: <br/>Fourteen experienced officers (43.5±5yrs, 180.0±9.9cm, 95.6±13.4kg) from a Tier 2 State Police Service (16.1±3.5yrs policing experience, 9.6±3.5yrs unit experience) completed a rolling operational scenario in pairs wearing occupational load (7.7±1.3kg) while being monitored with Polar Team Pro telemetry. Officers underwent a brief (~10 minute) physical training event prior to the start of the scenario which included a jog and calisthenics. The pairs were faced with 10 various use of force situations (average duration (13:33±2:43 min:sec) within a compound which they were to resolve with the most appropriate use of force option, prior to sitting quietly for 20 minutes to recover. Key variables were heart rate (bpm), movement speed (km/hr) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measured as rMSSD. <br/><br/>RESULTS: <br/>There were significant increases in heart rate(F(1.747, 20.970)=146.173, p&lt;0.001), and decreases in HRV (F(1.193, 15.507)=15.015, p&lt;0.001) in the brief PT event from baseline (152.1±11.6bpm, 13.8±9.3ms, average speed 5.5±1.8km/hr) which further increased during the scenario with an average of 159.7±16.2bpm and 5.1±6.8ms, despite an average movement speed of 1.2±0.3km/hr. This heart rate remained significantly elevated and the HRV significantly decreased from baseline at both 10 minutes (131.6±18.5bpm, 5.4±2.6ms) and 20 minutes (114.4±19.7bpm, 8.4±6.3ms) post event (Figure 1). <br/><br/>RELEVANCE: <br/>Results of this study highlight the appropriateness of stimulus response training in eliciting a significant stress response. This significant cardiovascular response persists for at least 20 minutes after the completion of training. This information is useful in planning training and recovery practices post stimulus response training.