Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 90, Issue 9 , Pages 1635-1638, September 2009

Analysis of Heart Rate Variability With Electromyography in Heart Transplant Recipients

  • Arzu On, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine, University of Ege, Izmir, Turkey
    • ,
  • Hale Karapolat, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine, University of Ege, Izmir, Turkey
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests to Hale Karapolat, MD, Ege University Medical Faculty Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Dept, 35100 Bornova/Izmir/Turkey
    • ,
  • Mehdi Zoghi, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiology, University of Ege, Izmir, Turkey
    • ,
  • Sanem Nalbantgil, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiology, University of Ege, Izmir, Turkey
    • ,
  • Tahir Yagdi, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ege, Izmir, Turkey
    • ,
  • Mustafa Ozbaran, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ege, Izmir, Turkey

Abstract 

On A, Karapolat H, Zoghi M, Nalbantgil S, Yagdi T, Ozbaran M. Analysis of heart rate variability with electromyography in heart transplant recipients.

Objective

To investigate vagal parasympathetic functions by electromyographic R-R interval variation analyses in heart transplant recipients.

Design

Cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Setting

Department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, university hospital.

Participants

Early (n=8; <3mo) and late (n=17; >1y) heart transplant recipients and healthy volunteers (n=20) were included.

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

The R-R interval variations at rest and in response to deep breathing, Valsalva, and tilt/standup maneuvers were analyzed in all patient and control groups. Further, 8 early heart transplant recipients were followed up at the sixth and twelfth months after transplantation.

Results

Compared with controls, both early and late transplant recipients had significantly lower R-R interval variation ratios (P<.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the early and late groups (P>.05). R-R interval variation ratios showed no significant changes from baseline (P>.025) in the early heart transplant recipients.

Conclusions

The findings of the study suggest that parasympathetic activities are suppressed in the early stage after heart transplantation and do not significantly recover with time. The electromyographic analysis of R-R interval variation is a simple test that may offer an attractive alternative for routine evaluation of autonomic dysfunction in heart transplant recipients.

Key Words: Heart transplantation, Rehabilitation

List of Abbreviations: ECG, electrocardiogram, EMG, electromyogram

 

 No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.

PII: S0003-9993(09)00350-5

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2009.03.012

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 90, Issue 9 , Pages 1635-1638, September 2009

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