title: Using photoplethysmography in heart rate monitoring of patients with epilepsy.
abstract: Heart rate is a useful neurophysiological sign when monitoring seizures in patients with epilepsy. In an ambulatory setting, heart rate is measured with ECG involving electrodes on the skin. This method is uncomfortable which is burdensome for patients and is sensitive to motion artifacts, which decrease the usability of measurements. In this study, green light photoplethysmography, an optical technique arising from the fitness industry, was evaluated for usefulness in a medical setting. Simultaneous overnight measurements of HR with a commercially available optical heart rate (OHR) sensor and with ECG (HRECG) were performed in 7 patients with epilepsy. Overall, there was no significant difference between OHR and HRECG in random 10-minute periods during wakefulness (p=0.69) and sleep (p=1.00). The Bland-Altman analysis showed negligible mean differences. Limits of agreement were higher during wakefulness and during the occurrence of two seizures possibly because of less reliable HRECG measurements due to motion artifacts. Optical heart rate seems less sensitive to these motion artifacts, and measurements are more user-friendly. The optical heart rate sensor may fill the gap of systems for ambulatory heart rate monitoring and can be especially useful in the context of seizure detection in patients with epilepsy.
authors: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: judithvanandel@gmail.com.
authors: Judith
authors: J
authors: van Andel
authors: Academic Centre for Epileptology Kempenhaeghe, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sterkselseweg 65, 5591 VE Heeze, The Netherlands; Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors: Constantin
authors: C
authors: Ungureanu
authors: Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Philips Research, High Tech Campus 34, 5656 AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors: Ronald
authors: R
authors: Aarts
authors: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Frans
authors: F
authors: Leijten
authors: Academic Centre for Epileptology Kempenhaeghe, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sterkselseweg 65, 5591 VE Heeze, The Netherlands.
authors: Johan
authors: J
authors: Arends
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017156:Photoplethysmography; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Ambulatory monitoring; ECG; Epilepsy; Heart rate; Photoplethysmography; Seizure detection