title: Wavelet transform analysis of heart rate variability during myocardial ischaemia.
abstract: Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a valuable, non-invasive method for quantifying autonomic cardiac control in humans. Frequency-domain analysis of HRV involving myocardial ischaemic episodes should take into account its non-stationary behaviour. The wavelet transform is an alternative tool for the analysis of non-stationary signals. Fourteen patients have been analysed, ranging from 40 to 64 years old and selected from the European Electrocardiographic ST-T Database (ESDB). These records contain 33 ST episodes, according to the notation of the ESDB, with durations of between 40s and 12 min. A method for analysing HRV signals using the wavelet transform was applied to obtain a time-scale representation for very low-frequency (VLF), low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands using the orthogonal multiresolution pyramidal algorithm. The design and implementation using fast algorithms included a specially adapted decomposition quadrature mirror filter bank for the frequency bands of interest. Comparing a normality zone against the ischaemic episode in the same record, increases in LF (0.0112 +/- 0.0101 against 0.0175 +/- 0.0208 s2 Hz(-1); p<0.1) and HF (0.0011 +/- 0.0008 against 0.00 17 +/- 0.0020 s2 Hz(-1); p<0.05) were obtained. The possibility of using these indexes to develop an ischaemic-episode classifier was also tested. Results suggest that wavelet analysis provides useful information for the assessment of dynamic changes and patterns of HRV during myocardial ischaemia.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ingeniería-Bioingeniería, Universidad Nacional de Entre Rios y Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. lgamero@satlink.com
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Gamero
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vila
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Palacios
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted