Heart Rate Variability During Exercise: A Comparison of Artefact Correction Methods.

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Cardiovascular Research
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Standardized practices for collecting and processing RR interval data from heart rate monitors (HRMs) are needed for research.
• Artefacts in RR interval data increase with exercise intensity, potentially compromising heart rate variability (HRV) analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the validity of RR intervals and HRV data obtained using an HRM during incremental exercise.
• To compare the effectiveness of various artefact correction methods for RR interval data.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous ECG and Polar V800 HRM recordings during incremental exercise.
• Artefact correction using deletion, interpolation (zero, linear, cubic, spline), and Kubios HRV software.
• Agreement assessment via bias, effect size (ES), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman limits of agreement (LoA).

Main Results:

• Artefacts increased with exercise intensity, peaking at 4.46% during 80-100% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max.
• Correction methods reduced bias and ES at rest and <60% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max.
• Significant variation persisted in HRV measures (RMSSD, LF/HF, SD1, SampEn) at >60% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, even after correction.
• Linear interpolation yielded the lowest bias and ES for RR intervals.

Conclusions:

• Correction of RR intervals is essential, especially at higher exercise intensities.
• Linear interpolation is recommended for RR interval correction.
• Caution is advised when interpreting HRV parameters derived from high-intensity exercise data due to persistent variations.