title: Effects of acute hypoxia on heart rate variability, sample entropy and cardiorespiratory phase synchronization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Investigating the responses of autonomic nervous system (ANS) in hypoxia may provide some knowledge about the mechanism of neural control and rhythmic adjustment. The integrated cardiac and respiratory system display complicated dynamics that are affected by intrinsic feedback mechanisms controlling their interaction. To probe how the cardiac and respiratory system adjust their rhythms in different simulated altitudes, we studied heart rate variability (HRV) in frequency domain, the complexity of heartbeat series and cardiorespiratory phase synchronization (CRPS) between heartbeat intervals and respiratory cycles.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, twelve male subjects were exposed to simulated altitude of sea level, 3000 m and 4000 m in a hypobaric chamber. HRV was assessed by power spectral analysis. The complexity of heartbeat series was quantified by sample entropy (SampEn). CRPS was determined by cardiorespiratory synchrogram.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The power spectral HRV indices at all frequency bands depressed according to the increase of altitude. The SampEn of heartbeat series increased significantly with the altitude (P < 0.01). The duration of CRPS epochs at 3000 m was not significantly different from that at sea level. However, it was significantly longer at 4000 m (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest the phenomenon of CRPS exists in normal subjects when they expose to acute hypoxia. Further, the autonomic regulation has a significantly stronger influence on CRPS in acute hypoxia. The changes of CRPS and HRV parameters revealed the different regulatory mechanisms of the cardiac and respiratory system at high altitude.
authors.forename: Da
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: She
authors.forename: Zhengbo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Research Center of Aviation Medicine Engineering, Institute of Aviation Medicine, Beijing, China. yms1601@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mengsun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D019277:Entropy; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological