The interpretation of very high frequency band of instantaneous pulse rate variability during paced respiration.

Background: Pulse rate (PR) indicates heart beat rhythm and contains various intrinsic characteristics of peripheral regulation. Pulse rate variability (PRV) is a reliable method to assess autonomic nervous system function quantitatively as an effective alternative to heart rate variability. However, the frequency range of PRV is limited by the temporal resolution of PR based on heart rate and it is further restricted the exploration of optimal autoregulation frequency based on spectral analysis.

Methods: Recently, a new novel method, called instantaneous PRV (iPRV), was proposed. iPRV breaks the limitation of temporal resolution and extends the frequency band. Moreover, iPRV provides a new frequency band, called very high frequency band (VHF; 0.4-0.9 Hz).

Results: The results showed that the VHF indicated the influences of respiratory maneuvers (paced respiration at 6-cycle and 30-cycle) and the nonstationary condition (head-up tilt; HUT).

Conclusions: VHF is as a potential indication of autoregulation in higher frequency range and with peripheral regulation. It helps for the frequency exploration of cardiovascular autoregulation.