Heart Rate Acceleration and Recovery Indices are Not Related to the Development of Ventricular Premature Beats During Exercise Test.

Background: Changes in heart rate (HR) during exercise and recovery from exercise are mediated by the balance between sympathetic and vagal activity. HR acceleration (HRA) and recovery (HRR) are important measures of cardiac autonomic dysfunction and directly correlated with sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. It is not known if the autonomic nervous system related to ventricular arrhythmias during exercise. The purpose was to evaluate the HRA and HRR in patients with and without premature ventricular complex (PVC) during exercise, and to examine the factors that might affect HRA and HRR.

Methods: The records of consecutive patients undergoing routine exercise test were reviewed. The characteristics and the HRA and HRR were compared between patients with and without PVC during exercise.

Results: A total of 232 patients (145 men) were recruited; 156 (103 men) developed PVCs during the exercise. Max HR was significantly lower in men with PVCs than in those without, which were not mirrored in women. There was no difference in HRA and HRR between the patients with and without exercise-induced PVCs in both genders. Compared to the men with PVCs, women had higher body mass index, shorter total exercise time, and higher HRA indices after the 3 and 6 minutes exercise. In patients with PVCs, the HRA and HRR indices were similar regardless of the presence of coronary artery disease and the phase of exercise test where PVC developed.

Conclusions: Although exercise performance may be different between the genders, the HRA or HRR indices were not related to the development of PVC during exercise in both genders.

Key Words: Exercise-induced arrhythmias; Heart rate acceleration; Heart rate recovery.