Abstract:

Objectives   To investigate the differences of short-term nonlinear heart rate variability(HRV)parameters among the groups of various cardiac functional classes and determine the influencing factors. Methods   The parameters, including measure slidewindow entropy (MwEn), center-edge ratio(CER)， cumulative energy (CE) and frequency-domain analysis, were analyzed with 5-minute dynamic electrocardiography, while the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured by echocardiogram both in 84 patients and 41 healthy controls. HRV parameters among the different cardiac functional classes and the influencing factors of nonlinear parameters were analyzed. Results   There were significant differences in nonlinear HRV parameters among the different cardiac functional classes (P<0.05) and LVEF, but not age or heart rate, was the chief factor that influenced MwEn (r=0.50，P<0.001), CER (r=-0.27, P=0.007) and CE (r=-0.30，P=0.003). Conclusions   Short-term nonlinear HRV analysis can be used to evaluate the cardiac status of patients with chronic heart failure and compared with the linear indexes, it is more sensitive.

Key words:  Nonlinear； Heart rate variability； Heart failure； Entropy； Center-edge ratio； Cumulative energy