Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 22, 2025
Author Spotlight: Improved Localization and Monitoring of Coronary Flow Reserve Using Modified PLAX View in Mice
Published on: August 25, 2023
Can short-term heart rate variability predict coronary artery disease in patients undergoing elective coronary
Ramaze Farouke Elhakeem1, Mohamed Faisal Lutfi1,2, Ahmed Babiker Mohamed Ali3
1College of Medicine, Qassim University, KSA.
Insights
Heart rate variability (HRV) did not significantly differ between patients with typical chest pain undergoing elective coronary angiography (ECA), regardless of coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnosis. This suggests HRV is not a reliable predictor for abnormal ECA outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Physiology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Typical chest pain with normal coronary angiography may indicate microvascular ischemia or non-cardiac causes affecting heart rate variability (HRV).
- The predictive value of poor HRV for abnormal elective coronary angiography (ECA) outcomes remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare HRV in patients presenting with typical chest pain, categorized by their ECA findings.
- Investigate the relationship between HRV parameters and the presence or absence of coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnosed via ECA.
Main Methods:
- 150 patients scheduled for ECA due to typical chest pain were enrolled.
- Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed using Bluetooth ECG, analyzing time and frequency domains.
- Patients were classified into test (CAD confirmed by ECA, n=108) and control (no CAD, n=42) groups.
Main Results:
- Initially, HRV parameters (Ln(pNN10), Ln(pNN20), LnLF, LnHF) were higher in patients with normal angiography compared to those with CAD.
- These significant differences in HRV were eliminated after adjusting for confounding factors like age, gender, BMI, and heart rate.
Conclusions:
- Heart rate variability (HRV) is comparable in patients with typical chest pain, irrespective of elective coronary angiography (ECA) outcomes.
- Confounding factors like age, gender, and tachycardia likely bias observed HRV differences, making HRV an unreliable standalone predictor for ECA results in this context.
Background:
Presence of typical chest pain and normal coronary angiography suggests the possibility of microvascular ischemia of the myocardium as well as other non-cardiac causes that are also likely to decrease heart rate variability (HRV). This raises a question of whether poor HRV can predict abnormal elective coronary angiography (ECA).
Aim:
The aim of this study was to compare HRV in patients with typical chest pain when they are classified according to ECA outcomes.
Methods:
The study enrolled 150 patients planned for ECA in the cardiac center of AlShaab Teaching Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan, due to typical chest pain. Following assessment of medical history and clinical examination, the Bluetooth electrocardiography (ECG) transmitter and receiver were used for ECG recording and evaluation of time and frequency domains HRV. ECA confirmed the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) in 108 patients, who were considered as the test group. The other 42 subjects were considered as a control group after the exclusion of CAD.
Results:
The Mean±SD of Ln(pNN10), Ln(pNN20), LnLF, and LnHF was significantly higher in subjects with normal angiography compared with CAD patients. However, these statistically significant differences disappeared when the comparison was adjusted for age, gender, BMI, and HR of the studied groups.
Conclusion:
HRV is comparable in patients with typical chest pain regardless of ECA outcomes.
Relevance For Patients:
The HRV differences between patients with normal and abnormal ECA are likely to be biased by CAD risk factors such as old age, male gender, and tachycardia that are known to disturb HRV. The possibility of microvascular ischemia in patients with normal ECA may have attenuated HRV in this group and make it comparable to those suffering from macrovascular ischemia due to CAD.
More Related Videos
06:16Signal Acquisition, Score Interpretation, and Economics of a Non-Invasive Point-of-Care Test for Coronary Artery Disease
Published on: August 9, 2024
18:11A Research Method For Detecting Transient Myocardial Ischemia In Patients With Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome Using Continuous ST-segment Analysis
Published on: December 28, 2012
Related Concept Videos
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
01:29Angina III: Clinical Manifestations and Assessment
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
01:17Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System I:Echocardiography
Indications: Echocardiography is utilized to diagnose heart failure, valve disorders, and myocardial infarction. It also assesses cardiac structures' size, shape, and motion,...
01:22Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
01:29Electrocardiogram
Three major waveforms are present in a typical ECG recording: the P wave, the QRS complex, and...