Recurrence Quantification Analysis to Characterise the Heart Rate Variability before the Onset of Ventricular Tachycardia

Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (VT) as fatal cardiac arrhythmias are the main factors triggering sudden cardiac death. The objective of this recurrence quantification analysis approach is to find early signs of sustained VT in patients with an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). These devices are able to safeguard patients by returning their hearts to a normal rhythm via strong defibrillatory shocks; additionally, they are able to store at least 1000 beat-to-beat intervals immediately before the onset of a lifethreatening arrhythmia. We study these 1000 beat-to-beat intervals of 63 chronic heart failure ICD patients before the onset of a life-threatening arrhythmia and at a control time, i.e. without VT event. We find that no linear parameter shows significant differences in heart rate variability between the VT and the control time series. However, the results of the recurrence quantification analysis are promising for this classification task.