title: How to estimate heart rate from pulse rate reported by oscillometric method in atrial fibrillation: The value of pulse rate variation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether the mean pulse rate (PR) from three oscillometric blood pressure (BP) measurements provides an accurate estimation of electrocardiogram ventricular rate (HR) in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation (AF).
  
  
  METHODS
  BP and PR were measured with an oscillometric BP device for three times with one-minute interval. Simultaneously, one-minute electrocardiogram was also recorded for three times. The first PR and HR values were recorded as PR1 and HR1, and the averages of three PR and HR values as mean PR (mPR) and mean HR (mHR). Meanwhile, the differences between the highest and lowest values among the three PR and HR were calculated as ΔPR and ΔHR. Furthermore, the patients were stratified on ΔPR into the 0-15 and >15 subgroups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A moderate positive correlation existed between PR1 and HR1 or mPR and mHR, and Bland-Altman plot also showed quite wide 95% limits between them. Meanwhile, ΔPR was significantly higher than ΔHR (12.1±8.6 vs 3.6±2.5bpm, P<0.001). However, in the 0-15 subgroup, the correlation between mPR and mHR was high (R2=0.800), and the 95% limits were only from -11.3 to 14.2bpm with a difference of 1.4bpm. The coincidence (mPR-mHR<10bpm) rate was 93.9% when PR≤80bpm, 96.3% when PR 81-100bpm, and 88.9% when PR over 100bpm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The average of three PR values reported by an oscillometric BP device could provide a clinically accepted estimation of mean HR of 3min in AF patients with ΔPR 0-15bpm and mean PR ≤100bpm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Xi-Xing
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Kui
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Ju-Xiang
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Shu
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. Electronic address: suyihappy@sohu.com.
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D000070276:Heart Rate Determination / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009991:Oscillometry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Electrocardiogram; Heart rate; Oscillometric method; Pulse rate