Parasympathetic activity in brain death: effect of apnea on heart rate variability

Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
M KawamotoM Ohtani

Abstract

Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability is a useful monitoring of brain-damaged patients. However, the effect of artificial ventilation is not clearly demonstrated in assessing vagal activity because the locus of its activity is originated close to the respiratory center in the brain stem. We studied heart rate variability during artificial ventilation and apnea test as part of an assessment of brain death. Ten adult patients with severe brain damage were studied. Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability from electrocardiographic R-R intervals was integrated to compare spectral components before, during and after the apnea test. Before the test, circulatory and blood gas variables and electrocardiographic recording were obtained under controlled mechanical ventilation at a rate of 12 and 18 (/min), each for 5 min. Measurements were made for 10 min during the apnea test, and repeated thereafter as before the test. Power spectral analysis based on fast Fourier transformation was made by integrating each low- (LF: 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high- (HF: 0.15-0.40 Hz) frequency band areas. LF was assessed as sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous activity, and HF as respiratory-related parasympathetic vagal activity. The H...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Aug 25, 2011·Immunology and Cell Biology·Angela M Crawley, Jonathan B Angel

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