Analysis of the Heart Rate Variability before and after Asphyxia

Over the last two decades there has been a widespread interest in the study of variations in the beat-to-beat timing of the heart, known as heart rate variability (HRV). The studies of heart rate variability have allowed access to useful information about disturbances in autonomic regulation, which are a promising marker to quantify autonomic activity. Heart rate variability has become the conventionally accepted term to describe variations of both instantaneous heart rate and RR intervals (the RR interval is the time interval between two consecutive R-points of the QRS complex) [2]. The objective of this paper is the analysis and comparison of the HRV before and after asphyxia using data from previous studies where 24 adult Wistar rats were anesthetised and subjected to controlled asphyxia for specified durations [1]. Preliminary results of our work show a depression of this parameter after long periods of asphyxia, indicating that HRV might be a good marker for assessing injury to the autonomic nervous system due to asphyxia.