Carvedilol can restore the multifractal properties of heart beat dynamics in patients with advanced congestive heart failure.
BACKGROUND
Human heart beats in an extremely inhomogeneous and non-stationary manner. Recent study has demonstrated that it belongs to a class of signals called multifractal. Loss of multifractality was also uncovered in patients with congestive heart failure. We investigated whether carvedilol could restore the multifractal properties in a group of patients with advanced congestive heart failure.


RESULTS
A Holter ECG recording was obtained before and 1 and 3 months after titrated addition of carvedilol therapy in 10 patients with advanced congestive heart failure. Multifractal spectrum, detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) as well as the traditional time- and frequency-domain heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were compared before and after carvedilol therapy together with those in age and sex-matched normal control. The results showed that the multifractal spectrum tau(q) vs. q of N-N interval time series returned toward normal during carvedilol treatment. All the traditional HRV parameters and the short-term DFA improved significantly after 3 months of carvedilol therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
We concluded that the deteriorated multifractal properties could be reversed by carvedilol treatment in patients with advanced congestive heart failure.
Chiu
Kuan-Ming
KM
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Far-Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. kmchius@yahoo.com.tw
Chan
Hsiao-Lung
HL
Chu
Shu-Hsun
SH
Lin
Tzu-Yu
TY
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002227:Carbazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000517:prevention & control; D000077261:Carvedilol; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000187:drug effects
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D002227:Carbazoles; D011412:Propanolamines; D000077261:Carvedilol