Abstract
Background: It is well-known that a reduction of the cardiac frequency variability, measurable with the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) system, is an indirect expression of the sympathetic-autonomic tone. Another index, Heart Rate Turbulence (HRT), has been recently suggested as a possible unit of measurement for the sympathetic-autonomic tone: this system allows to estimate the baro-reflex response of the carotid arteries to an early ventricular extra-systole by analysing heart rate variations induced by a premature beat. Methods and results: In our research we have analyzed this phenomenon in patients affected by moderate or severe cardiac failure. In particular, we divided 110 patients into two arms: subjects with or without a history of resuscitated arrhythmic death, that is, patients with high or low arrhythmic potential. In a detailed analysis of the sympatheticautonomic tone, using both the above-mentioned parameters, HRV showed an irrelevant statistical difference between the two arms; on the contrary, HRT showed a significant statistical difference. Conclusions: If our conclusions will be confirmed by next larger reports, HRT could become a reliable index for screening the arrhythmic potential of patients affected by cardiac failure, to select the ones who need a defibrillator implantation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 125-129 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2010 |
Keywords
- Defibrillator
- HRT
- HRV
- ICD
- Sudden death
- Turbulence
- Variability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
- Health Informatics