Heart Rate Variability Applications in Medical Specialties: A Narrative Review

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular physiology
• Autonomic nervous system function

Background:

• Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic nervous system balance.
• Wearable devices increasingly measure HRV, but clinical integration is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current research and future applications of HRV across diverse medical specialties.
• To evaluate HRV's potential for early disease detection, prognosis, and monitoring.

Main Methods:

• A narrative literature review was conducted.
• Searches included HRV and specialty-specific terminology.

Main Results:

• HRV shows potential as a non-invasive, cost-effective metric for disease detection, prognosis, and monitoring.
• Significant heterogeneity in HRV research limits current clinical applicability.
• Promising evidence exists for HRV in psychiatry, critical care, and chronic disease management.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing HRV monitoring protocols is crucial for understanding its impact on patient outcomes.
• Clinical application of HRV is warranted in specific areas despite existing research limitations.
• Further research is needed to optimize HRV's role in healthcare.