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Pedro Gomis, Pere Caminal, Montserrat Vallverdú, Stafford Warren, Galen Wagner

Non-linear dynamic analysis of the cardiac rhythm during transient myocardial ischemia

Keywords: angioplasty, cardiac ischemia, complex systems, fractal analysis, Heart rate variability

Coronary artery occlusions related to myocardial ischemia drive cardiac control system reactions that may lead to heart failure. The purpose of this study was to assess the autonomic nervous system (ANS) response during prolonged percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Continuous ECG data were acquired from 50 patients before and during PTCA, with occlusions in the left anterior descending, left circumflex or right coronary artery. Heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed for 3-min segments of the R-R interval signal obtained from ECG data. The ANS behavior was evaluated by HRV analysis using fractal-like indices. The fractal scalar exponent ?₁ and power-law slope ? decreased considerably during PTCA. This indicates that significant reactions of autonomic control of the heart rate occurred during coronary artery occlusions, with a reduction in complexity of the ANS.

Biomedizinische Technik, Walter de Gruyter

Print ISSN: 0013-5585
Volume: 51, 10/2006
Pages: 178 - 181

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