Seismocardiography: Toward heart rate variability (HRV) estimation

Heart rate variability (HRV), the variation in the beat-to-beat heart rate, is a key indicator of the cardiovascular condition of an individual. The purpose of this study was to cross-validate the beat-by-beat time variations in seismocardiography (SCG) with electrocardiography (ECG) for determining ultra-short term HRV indices. Twenty healthy young volunteers were examined in this study by performing an ultra-short term data acquisition protocol. Kubios HRV software was utilized to assess the HRV parameters. The HRV indices were analyzed in both time-domain and frequency-domain processes. High linear relationship (r>0.98) and agreement was observed between the HRV indexes calculated from SCG and ECG data. In conclusion, SCG and ECG HRV indices were found to be statistically close enough to warrant the use of SCG for estimating HRV.