Heart rate variability in patients hospitalized for decompensated diastolic heart failure at admission and after clinical stabilization.

Aims: We investigated heart rate variability (HRV) in patients hospitalized for decompensated diastolic heart failure and the effect of compensation course on HRV parameters. We also examined the association between the degree of diastolic dysfunction and HRV indices.

Patients & Methods: A total of 42 patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure, who had a measured ejection fraction ≥ 50%, and ten age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled.

Results: All HRV indices were lower compared with the control group both at admission (p < 0.001) and after compensation, although a significant increase was observed in each index measured after clinical stabilization (p < 0.001). Improvement in HRV indices was lowest in patients with a restrictive pattern among groups of different degrees of diastolic dysfunction.

Conclusion: Impairment in HRV in decompensated diastolic heart failure is more pronounced with increasing grade of diastolic dysfunction. It remains to be investigated whether decompensation may be predicted by marked depression in these indexes or if severely impaired HRV is a consequence of decompensation.