Heart Rate Variability as an Indicator of Autonomic Nervous System Disturbance in Tetanus.

ABSTRACT: Autonomic nervous system dysfunction (ANSD) is a significant cause of mortality in tetanus. Currently, diagnosis relies on nonspecific clinical signs. Heart rate variability (HRV) may indicate underlying autonomic nervous system activity and represents a potentially valuable noninvasive tool for ANSD diagnosis in tetanus. HRV was measured from three 5-minute electrocardiogram recordings during a 24-hour period in a cohort of patients with severe tetanus, all receiving mechanical ventilation. HRV measurements from all subjects-five with ANSD (Ablett Grade 4) and four patients without ANSD (Ablett Grade 3)-showed HRV was lower than reported ranges for healthy individuals. Comparing different severities of tetanus, raw data for both time and frequency measurements of HRV were reduced in those

SUBMITTER: Duong HTH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7008337 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature