The bronchial hyperreactivity characteristic of asthma may be related to enhanced parasympathetic nervous activity. We postulated that an abnormality in the autonomic control of airway caliber might be reflected by a parallel change in the reflex control of heart rate. We examined the heart-rate variations induced by deep breathing (respiratory sinus arrhythmia), the Valsalva maneuver, and stan...

We tested if microcomputer-based measurements of heart rate variability and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) could be used as the basis of an objective sedation score. Measurements were obtained in eight ICU patients before, during and after physiotherapy. Patients were sedated with propofol and alfentanil and paralysed with atracurium. Mean ECG R-R interval showed little variation, changing ...

Aims Alcohol is a risk factor for cardiac arrhythmias. Retrospective analyses suggest supraventricular arrhythmias consecutive to acute alcohol consumption, but prospective data are limited. We intended to prospectively associate acute alcohol consumption with cardiac arrhythmias. Methods and results At the 2015 Munich Octoberfest, we enrolled 3028 voluntary participants who received a smartp...

BACKGROUND It was previously shown that antidepressants are associated with diminished vagal control over the heart. Longitudinal studies are needed to test the causality of this association further. METHODS Longitudinal data were obtained in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. At baseline and at 2-year follow-up, heart rate and cardiac vagal control as indexed by respiratory sin...

1. In six healthy subjects the amplitude and phase of respiratory sinus arrhythmia were determined at five different respiratory cycle lengths ranging from 3 to 9.5 s. 2. At each respiratory cycle length the carotid baroreceptor-heart rate reflex response was determined by cyclical neck suction at -40 mmHg at five different cycle lengths covering the same range of 3-9.5 s. 3. The application of...