Comparing Water Immersion Skin Wrinkling and Tilt Table Testing in a Young Healthy Population

Tilt table testing (TTT) is the golden standard in evaluating vasovagal syncope, an autonomic function. Water immersion skin wrinkling (WISW) has recently been linked to autonomic function. The purpose of this study is to compare WISW and TTT in a young healthy population. Six subjects (male n=3, female n=3) were admitted to Charleston Forge Vascular Laboratory for testing. Subjects were randomized into groups starting with TTT and WISW. TTT consisted of 5 minutes supine monitoring, followed by 5 minutes of 80° tilting, finishing with 5 more minutes of supine monitoring. WISW was administered by placing a subject’s hand in lukewarm water for 20 minutes. Heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded for TTT and degree of wrinkling was recorded for WISW. A two-tailed t-test determined that there is not a significant difference between WISW and TTT.