New approach to heart rate variability analysis based on cardiophysiological biomarkers

Background: The heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a well-known method demonstrating its value over the years in different medical fields. However, it still has its known limitations.

Material and methods: The new approach to HRV analysis is based on a complementary HRV standard analysis with new cardiophysiological biomarkers. The biomarkers are assessed on cardiorhythmograms obtained by a 5-minute ECG recording using a specialized hardware (Polyspectrum-HRV-device, Neurosoft).

Results: A possible applicative value of the biomarkers is shown on examples of how a prognosis for recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AFib) could be made. When in a rest-state cardiorhythmogram are observed LF drops and are followed by a pathological counterregulation, prognostically, recurrence of atrial fibrillation is expected. When in a cardiorhythmogram LF drops are observed and are followed by a physiological counterregulation, prognostically, sinus rhythm is expected. Physiological background of the biomarkers: increased central modulation of the heart in rest state of a patient, a sympathetic overflow of the heart in calm state and insufficiency of compensatory parasymphatetic counteractivation. Limitations of the paper: this is a methodological paper without description of patients. This paper will be followed by a clinical paper in which we are going to describe the validation of these cardiophysiological biomarkers on patients with AFib.

Conclusions: Complementary to the standard HRV analysis, cardiophysiological biomarkers should be assessed: LF drops and HF counterregulation could be used for prognosis construction in cardiology.