HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN THE TIME DOMAIN DURING THE CHESTER STEP TEST AS A PREDICTOR OF HOSPITAL LENGTH OF STAY: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Evelyn Moreira; Yury Souza  de Azevedo; Cleide Laranjeira  da Silva; Paullynne  da Costa Gomes; Emilly Cássia   Soares Furtado; João Simão de Melo Neto

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.13554

##article.authors##

Evelyn Moreira Federal University of Para https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5379-4985
- Conceptualization
Yury Souza de Azevedo Federal University of Para https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4349-0912
- Methodology
- Writing – Review & Editing
Cleide Laranjeira da Silva Federal University of Para https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4139-7342
- Methodology
- Investigation
Paullynne da Costa Gomes Federal University of Para https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9426-3179
- Data Curation
Emilly Cássia Soares Furtado Federal University of Para https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9796-9859
- Investigation
- Data Curation
João Simão de Melo Neto Federal University of Para https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4681-8532
- Supervision
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Formal Analysis

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.13554

Keywords:

Heart Rate Variability, Chester Step Test, Oncological Surgery, Functional Capacity, Length of Hospital Stay

Abstract

Introduction: Major abdominal and thoracic surgeries have a high rate of cardiopulmonary complications and prolonged hospital stays. The Chester Step Test (CST), combined with Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis, may assist in preoperative risk stratification. Objective: To verify whether the CST combined with HRV can predict postoperative hospital length of stay in oncological patients undergoing non-cardiac surgeries. Methodology: Prospective study with 24 oncological patients who underwent the CST with HRV monitoring and estimated VO₂max between May 2024 and January 2025. Sociodemographic, clinical variables and length of hospital stay were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Mean RR was associated with hospital length of stay, increasing the chance of medium-length hospitalization by 2.4% for each 1 ms increase (p = 0.031). The short-stay group presented lower HRV and higher heart rate, with breast cancer being more prevalent among women (TIH-C) and colorectal cancer among men (TIH-L). Conclusion: HRV analysis proved to be a practical and effective tool for predicting postoperative hospital length of stay, contributing to the planning and optimization of perioperative care in oncological patients.