Comparison of pulse rate variability and heart rate variability for high frequency content estimation

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis quantifies Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activity, crucial in clinical settings.
• The high frequency (HF) content of HRV reflects parasympathetic tone and ANS response to stimuli like pain and stress.
• The Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI) was developed using HRV's HF content to guide analgesia during anesthesia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simplify signal acquisition for ANI by exploring Pulse Rate Variability (PRV) from photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensors.
• To assess the reliability of PRV-derived ANI compared to HRV-derived ANI for potential homecare monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Compared PRV and HRV analysis using the ANI algorithm.
• Evaluated spectral analysis of HF and HF/(HF+LF) components on both ECG-derived HRV and PPG-derived PRV signals.

Main Results:

• The study compared PRV and HRV estimations using ANI and spectral analysis.
• Investigated the feasibility of using PPG sensors for continuous vagal tone monitoring.

Conclusions:

• This research explores adapting ANI for simpler, non-invasive monitoring via PPG sensors.
• Findings may support expanded applications of ANI for pain management and ANS assessment in diverse settings.