HRV spectral and fractal analysis in heart failure patients with different aetiologies

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has been widely studied both in healthy subjects and congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. Significant variations in the HRV patterns have been reported in cardiac patients and quantified both in time and spectral domain by various linear and nonlinear parameters which may be useful not only for the characterization of the autonomous nervous system but also for patients risk stratification. Nevertheless, the relationship between HRV measures and CHF aetiologies has not been completely investigated yet. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the spectral and fractal properties of HRV in patients with CHF caused by either dilated cardiomyopathy or ischemic heart disease, and to compare the results with those coming from normal subjects. Results revealed that changes in some of the examined parameters may lead to a possible separation of the CHF aetiologies.