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The relationship between cardiac autonomic function and clinical and angiographic characteristics in patients with

Vandeni C Kunz1, Raquel B Souza, Anielle C M Takahashi

  • 1Laboratory of Cardiovascular Physical Therapy, Nucleus of Research in Physical Exercise, Physical Therapy Department, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil.

Revista Brasileira De Fisioterapia (Sao Carlos (Sao Paulo, Brazil))
|October 18, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Autonomic dysfunction, indicated by reduced heart rate variability (HRV), is present in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. HRV analysis reveals lower complexity and altered sympathetic/parasympathetic balance in CAD patients, linked to coronary occlusion severity.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Autonomic Nervous System Function
  • Heart Rate Variability Analysis

Background:

  • Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) is a key indicator of autonomic dysfunction.
  • Autonomic dysfunction plays a role in cardiovascular health and disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess autonomic dysfunction using HRV in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
  • To compare HRV parameters between CAD patients and healthy individuals.

Main Methods:

  • 52 male participants were divided into obstructive CAD (CAD+), non-obstructive CAD (CAD-), and control groups (CG).
  • Heart rate (HR) and HRV were measured at rest using a Polar®S810i device.
  • HRV was analyzed using Shannon entropy (SE) for complexity and symbolic analysis (0V, 2ULV) for sympathetic/vagal modulation.

Main Results:

  • The CAD+ group exhibited significantly lower SE and 2ULV% and higher 0V% compared to CAD- and CG groups.
  • Multivariate analysis indicated that myocardial infarction and revascularization in CAD+ patients correlated with lower SE and higher 0V.
  • Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use was associated with higher SE in the CAD- group.

Conclusions:

  • Uncomplicated CAD patients demonstrate reduced HRV complexity, increased sympathetic, and decreased parasympathetic modulation at rest.
  • These HRV patterns suggest autonomic heart dysfunction is associated with the degree of coronary artery occlusion and cardiac compromise.
Abstract

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