Analyzing cardiovascular variabilities in patients with heart failure

Abstract

Nearly 60% of patients with heart failure (HF) suffer from cardiac death within five years after diagnosis. Strategies for early diagnosis of CHF are rather insufficient. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a parameter set for an enhanced risk stratification in HF patients. From 43 patients suffering from HF (NYHA≥II, EF<45%) and from 20 healthy subjects (REF) heart sound (HS), heart rate and blood pressure variability (HRV and BPV), interactions between heart rate and blood pressure (joint symbolic dynamics - JSD) and blood pressure morphology (BPM) were analyzed. Measures from BPV, BPM and JSD revealed high significances (p<0.0001) discriminating REF and HF. A set of three parameters from HS, JSD and BPM was developed (sensitivity=91.7%, specificity=93.3%) for risk stratification in patients with heart failure. © 2005 IEEE.