January 25, 2005QJM181 citationsOpen Access
Heart rate variability measurements and the prediction of ventricular arrhythmias
View Full Paper
Key Result
Heart rate variability analysis offers potential for predicting the timing of onset of fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias and long-term survival in patients with cardiac disease.
Structured PICO
Can heart rate variability measurements predict the timing of onset of fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias?
P
Population
Patients post myocardial infarction, or with valvular or congestive heart disease
E
Exposure
Heart rate variability (HRV) measurements and analysis (including wavelet analysis)
O
Outcome
Prediction of long-term survival and timing of onset of fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTAs)
Heart rate variability analysis, enhanced by newer techniques like wavelet analysis, offers potential for predicting the onset of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias.
Abstract
Heart rate variability (HRV) is the temporal variationbetween sequences of consecutive heartbeats. It is possible that HRV confers a survival advantage.In normal subjects, a variable heart rate is the normal physiological state. A loss of variability is associated with an increased mortality in patients post myocardialinfarction.Initially, the focus of HRV investigation was its use in the prediction of long-term survival in patientswho had suffered myocardial infarction, or hadvalvular or congestive heart disease. More recently,work has concentrated on attempts to predict thetiming of onset of fatal VTAs. Given the poor resultscurrently achieved in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest,efforts directed towards the identification of VTAsare crucial.61 The area of HRV behaviour before theonset of life-threatening VTAs offers exciting possibilities.Newer improved analytical techniquessuch as wavelet analysis, together with improvedprocessing power, have simplified and speeded upsignal acquisition and analysis.
Cite This Study
Reed et al. (2005) conducted a review in Ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac disease. Heart rate variability (HRV) measurements was evaluated on Prediction of ventricular tachyarrhythmias and long-term survival. Heart rate variability analysis offers potential for predicting the timing of onset of fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias and long-term survival in patients with cardiac disease.