心拍変動ダイナミクスに基づく心血管疾患の予後予測

抄録

Normal heart contraction is initiated by electrical impulses from the sinoatrial (SA) node acting as the natural pacemaker of the heart. The heartbeat intervals fluctuate in a complex manner even for a healthy individual at rest. This fluctuation is caused by that of the pacing rate of the SA node modulated by the activity of sympathetic and/or parasympathetic nervous fibers via the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, through the analysis of heart rate fluctuations, called heart rate variability (HRV), it is possible to evaluate various aspects of ANS function. It has been reported that reduced and/or abnormal HRV in cardiac patients is associated with higher mortality risk. Hence, HRV are expected to serve as prognostic as well as diagnostic markers of various cardiovascular disorders. In this presentaion, we discuss characteristics of HRV and the key issues for evaluation of ANS functions thought to play an important role in the disease transition.