Time and frequency domain methods for heart rate variability analysis: a methodological comparison

The purpose of this paper is to analytically evaluate and compare two of the most common methods for measuring respiration-related heart rate fluctuations: linear detrended heart rate power spectral analysis and the Porges technique of filtered variance. Low-frequency power was removed from instantaneous 4-Hz R-R interval signals using either a first-order linear (linear/spectral technique) or a third-order polynomial (MPF-var technique). The signals were band-pass filtered and analyzed in both the time and frequency domains. Although in most cases the two techniques yielded substantially similar results, the MPF-var technique resulted in signal amplification at a few specific frequencies. The frequency range and effect to amplification of the MPF-var technique were dependent upon the polynomial size, sampling frequency, and frequency content of the signal.