ECG and Heart Rate Variability in Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders

Abstract

Here we discuss the current perspectives of comprehensive heart rate variability (HRV) analysis in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals as a non-invasive and reliable measure to assess autonomic function in sleep-related breathing disorders (SDB). It is a tool of increasing interest as different facets of HRV can be implemented to screen and diagnose SDB, monitor treatment efficacy, and prognose adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with sleep apnea. In this context, the technical aspects, pathophysiological features, and clinical applications of HRV are discussed to explore its usefulness in better understanding SDB.

Keywords: Autonomic dysfunction; Autonomic nervous system activity; Chaotic invariant analysis; Correlation dimension; Detrended fluctuation analysis; Entropy; Frequency-domain analysis; Heart rate variability; Nonlinear analysis; Poincaré plot; Recurrence plots; Sleep apnea; Sleep-related breathing disorders; Symbolic dynamics; Time-domain analysis.