title: The degree of heart rate asymmetry is crucial for the validity of the deceleration and acceleration capacity indices of heart rate: A model-based study.
abstract: The deceleration capacity (DC) and acceleration capacity (AC) of heart rate are a pair of indices used for evaluating the autonomic nervous system (ANS). We assessed the role of heart rate asymmetry (HRA) in defining the relative performance of DC and AC using a mathematical model, which is able to generate a realistic RR interval (RRI) time series with controlled ANS states. The simulation produced a set of RRI series with random sympathetic and vagal activities. The multi-scale DCs and ACs were computed from the RRI series, and the correlation of DC and AC with the ANS functions was analyzed to evaluate the performance of the indices. In the model, the HRA level was modified by changing the inspiration/expiration (I/E) ratio to examine the influence of HRA on the performances of DC and AC. The results show that on the conventional scales (T=1, s=2), an HRA level above 50% results in a stronger association of DC with the ANS, compared with AC. On higher scales (T=4, s=6), there was no HRA and DC showed a similar performance to AC for all I/E ratios. The data suggest that the HRA level determines which of DC or AC is the optimal index for expressing ANS functions. Future clinical applications of DC and AC should be accompanied by an HRA analysis to provide a better index for assessing ANS.
authors.affiliation: College of Information Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 288 Liuhe Road, Hangzhou 310023, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: College of Information Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 288 Liuhe Road, Hangzhou 310023, China.
authors.forename: Gongzhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, 38 Zheda Road, Hangzhou 310027, China.
authors.forename: Ruofan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of ICU, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Road, Hangzhou 310013, China.
authors.forename: Yihua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Information Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 288 Liuhe Road, Hangzhou 310023, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Information Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 288 Liuhe Road, Hangzhou 310023, China.
authors.forename: Luping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Department of ICU, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Road, Hangzhou 310013, China. Electronic address: zjicu@vip.163.com.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, 38 Zheda Road, Hangzhou 310027, China. Electronic address: gmning@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Gangmin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ning
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
keywords: Acceleration capacity; Deceleration capacity; Heart rate asymmetry; Heart rate variability; Mathematical model