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Biomedical subjects

N Honzikova

Publications and source records attributed to N Honzikova.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Time versus frequency domain techniques for assessing baroreflex sensitivity.

BACKGROUND: Newer techniques to evaluate baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) are based on the analysis of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) time series in the time or frequency domain. These novel approaches are steadily gaining popularity, since they do not require injection of vasoactive substances, nor do they rely on a complex experimental set-up. AIM: This review outlines and compares some basic features of the latest methods to assess spontaneous baroreflex function. RESULTS: Modern techniques for the estimation of spontaneous BRS are based on a variety of signal processing schemes and derive information on the baroreflex function from different perspectives. Thus factors such as respiration and other non-stationary agents may have different influences on the estimates provided by each of these approaches. Notwithstanding such individual specificity, however, it has been observed that in several physiological and pathophysiological conditions these techniques often provide comparable information on BRS changes over time, particularly when the estimates are averaged over time windows of a few minutes. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the general agreement in the pattern of BRS among most modern methods, it seems reasonable to employ the most validated of these techniques, for which data obtained in several studies are already available.

Animals↗

Critical value of baroreflex sensitivity determined by spectral analysis in risk stratification after myocardial infarction.

The risk of cardiac death in patients after MI is predicted by a decreased baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). The critical value of BRS based on phenylephrine administration is 3 ms/mmHg. The aim of this study was to determine the critical value of BRS assessed by spectral analysis of spontaneous fluctuations in pulse intervals and blood pressure. Digital blood pressure was recorded noninvasively (3 min, controlled breathing 0.33 Hz) in 112 patients, 8-18 days after MI. Nine patients died during the first year after MI. BRS was determined as the gain between the spectrum of the variability of systolic blood pressure and the cross-spectrum between the variability of pulse intervals and systolic blood pressure. The gain at the frequency of 0.1 Hz was taken as the measure of BRS. Sensitivity, specificity, and the positive predictive value were calculated in the range of 1-10 ms/mmHg in steps of 1 ms/mmHg. The value of BRS above which sensitivity no longer increases and specificity decreases was taken as the optimal value. The critical value of BRS determined by spectral analysis was 3 ms/mmHg (sensitivity 77%; specificity 71%). In conclusion, the spectral critical value of BRS determined by spectral analysis of spontaneous fluctuations in pulse intervals and blood pressure corresponds to the value determined by the phenylephrine method.

Baroreflex↗

Vibration plethysmography: a method for studying the visco-elastic properties of finger arteries.

Vibration plethysmography records changes in vascular volume produced by fast vibrations of cuff pressure. From these, waveforms of dynamic vascular compliance (DVC) are obtained. A total of 46 recordings of DVC, photo-electric plethysmogram (PG), cuff pressure (CP), and indirect blood pressure (BP) are performed on two adjacent fingers (third and fourth) in 23 healthy subjects. The shape and polarity of the DVC waveform markedly depends upon CP or transmural pressure (TP) (TP = BP - CP). The correlation coefficient between DVC and PG waveforms is nearly -1 at negative mean TP, near zero at zero TP, and approaches +1 at positive TP. For CP moving between systolic and diastolic BP, the DVC waveform shows a diastolic peak, with its maximum close to the zero value of instantaneous TP. xy-diagrams of PG against TP and of DVC against TP plotted for the diastolic phase of single pulses reveal a close coincidence of the DVC peak with the maximum slope of the PG/TP curve. A similar relationship appears when slow changes in PG and the amplitude of PG pulse waves are plotted against mean TP.

Adult↗