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January 26, 2026Frontiers in PhysiologyOpen Access

Understanding the shortcomings of heart rate variability as a tool for autonomic analysis

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Why the study?

Despite widespread use of heart rate variability across cardiology and other fields, significant standardization problems, technical challenges, and interpretative limitations restrict its clinical utility.

Design

Narrative review

Key result

Heart rate variability assessment faces significant limitations including standardization challenges and artifact sensitivity, which contemporary machine learning methodologies are helping to overcome.

Authors

ABArijita Banerjee

Discussion

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Overview

HRV assessment warrants cautious clinical interpretation due to standardization and artifact issues; leaves open whether machine learning reliably enhances utility.

PICO

P
Population
Autonomic dysfunction
I
Intervention / Comparator
Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis

This narrative review highlights the inherent limitations of traditional heart rate variability assessment, such as standardization issues and artifact sensitivity, and explores how contemporary machine learning approaches can overcome these challenges to enhance clinical utility.

Limitations

  • Measurement standardization challenges across different recording durations and conditions
  • Extreme sensitivity to artifacts, ectopic beats, and signal quality issues
  • Complex interpretation due to multiple physiological and non-physiological confounding factors
  • Limitations and inaccuracies of consumer wearable devices using PPG technology
  • Machine learning challenges including data quality, small sample sizes, and 'black box' interpretability
  • Data quality issues including artifacts, noise, and lack of standardization across devices compromise model reliability
  • Small sample sizes, class imbalance, and limited demographic diversity hinder generalization
  • Deep learning's 'black box' nature limits clinical interpretability and trust
  • HRV's sensitivity to numerous physiological confounders like age, medications, stress, and circadian rhythms complicate accurate disease attribution

Cite This Study

Arijita Banerjee (2026) conducted a review in Autonomic dysfunction. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis was evaluated. Heart rate variability assessment faces significant limitations including standardization challenges and artifact sensitivity, which contemporary machine learning methodologies are helping to overcome.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a228d11f1cd006d1cffa322https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1760160
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