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Predictability of normal heart rhythms and deterministic chaos.

J. H. Lefebvre1, D. A. Goodings, M. V. Kamath

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1Department of Medicine, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5.

Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)
|April 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Normal heart rhythms show subtle signs of deterministic chaos, not strong or persistent. Analysis of R-R intervals reveals short-term predictability, suggesting nonlinear dynamics in cardiac function.

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Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Normal heart rhythms are complex and influenced by various physiological factors.
  • Understanding the underlying dynamics of heart rate variability is crucial for assessing cardiac health.
  • Previous research has explored the potential for chaotic behavior in biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and characteristics of deterministic chaos in normal heart rhythms.
  • To analyze the predictability of R-R intervals in healthy subjects and patients post-myocardial infarction.
  • To identify parameters that quantify nonlinear dynamics in cardiac time series.

Main Methods:

  • Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded from 29 subjects across four groups (young healthy, older healthy, post-myocardial infarction).

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  • Time series of 1000 first differences of R-R intervals were constructed.
  • Correlation integral and prediction methods (Sugihara-May, autoregressive linear predictor) were applied to analyze the data.

    • Main Results:

    • No evidence for an attractor with a dimension less than 4 was found.
    • Short-term predictability was observed in the differenced R-R intervals, inconsistent with a Gaussian random process.
    • A small amount of nonlinear dynamical behavior was detected, suggesting deterministic chaos is present but not dominant.

    Conclusions:

    • Normal heart rhythms exhibit a degree of deterministic chaos, characterized by nonlinear dynamics and short-term predictability.
    • The identified 'first step predictability' and 'predictability decay rate' are novel parameters for characterizing cardiac rhythm dynamics.
    • These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex physiological mechanisms governing heart rate variability.