Multimodal Assessment of the Pulse Rate Variability Analysis Module of a Photoplethysmography-Based Telemedicine...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular physiology
• Biomedical engineering
• Wearable technology

Background:

• Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is crucial for monitoring physiological conditions.
• Wearable devices offer potential for remote cardiovascular and autonomic monitoring.
• The interchangeability of pulse rate variability (PRV) from photoplethysmography (PPG) with HRV is under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the PRV analysis module of the SCN4ALL digital arterial PPG-based telemedical system.
• To assess the agreement between PRV derived from PPG and HRV derived from ECG.
• To determine if PRV parameters are interchangeable with HRV parameters for remote monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous 2-minute PPG and ECG recordings in 33 healthy individuals and 12 diabetic patients.
• Analysis included rest and cold pressor test conditions for healthy subjects.
• Bland-Altman analysis was used to compare SCN4ALL PRV outputs with Kubios Premium software and ECG-derived HRV.

Main Results:

• The SCN4ALL PRV algorithm showed ideal agreement (<2% bias) with Kubios Premium software.
• Good agreement was found between PRV and HRV for several time-domain, frequency-domain, and non-linear parameters in healthy subjects.
• Agreements in diabetic patients included SDNN, LF, and SD2, with moderate agreement for total power.

Conclusions:

• The SCN4ALL PRV analysis module serves as a reliable alternative for numerous conventional HRV parameters.
• PRV analysis using PPG is suitable for remote cardiovascular and autonomic monitoring applications.
• The SCN4ALL system provides a validated tool for assessing cardiovascular variability.