Changes in blood pressure and heart rate of fighter pilots before and after simulated ejection

CHEN Yuanyuan; WANG Xingwei; BU WeiPing; LIU Heqing; HAO Mengting; ZHAO Yanpeng; HU Bo; BAI Yu

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2097-1753.2025.06.006

Abstract：Objective To investigate the impact of simulated ejection on blood pressure and heart rate of fighter pilots of different age groups in order to provide data for flight training and formulation of ejection protection measures.Methods Fighter pilots were divided into groups ages 20-24,25-29,30-34,and＞34 years.Ejection experiments were conducted using an ejection seat simulator,and blood pressure and heart rate were recorded before and after ejection.The blood pressure,heart rate,and their changes(ΔSBP,ΔDBP,ΔHR)before and after ejection were compared across age groups.Results The systolic blood pressure(SBP)of pilots in groups ages 20-24,25-29,and 30-34 increased after simulated ejection training(t=2.418,2.278,2.270,P=0.020,0.025,0.028),but decreased in the group above 34(t=2.195,P=0.042).The diastolic blood pressure(DBP)of pilots in the group ages 30 to 34 was higher after training(t=2.078,P=0.043),so was the heart rate(HR)of pilots in the group ages 25-29(t=2.099,P=0.038).Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between age and ΔSBP(r=-0.172,P=0.011).Significant differences in ΔSBP and ΔDBP were observed between the four groups(F=4.132,3.689,P=0.007,0.013).The ΔSBP and ΔDBP of pilots in the first three age groups were higher than in the＞34 age group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Age-related physiological changes affect the cardiovascular adaptation mechanisms of pilots during ejection.Before high-stress training such as simulated ejection,the age and physical condition of pilots should be taken into consideration to adjust the levels of difficulty and risk of training so as to ensure that their physiological and psychological states meet the requirements of training.