Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
5-1-2023
Journal
The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine
Abstract
To explore the use of 5-minute heart rate variability (HRV) during inpatient rehabilitation in the acute phase of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Longitudinal observational study. Acute inpatient rehabilitation (AIR). 10 patients with acute traumatic SCI. 5-minute HRV supine recordings twice daily on three different days per patient. HRV values were evaluated (1) within a single day (Early versus Late); (2) across the inpatient admission (initial, mid, and discharge); (3) by SCI phenotypes and by clinical outcomes (ex. pressure injuries (PI)). Patients had an average age of 38 years, 80% male, and 40% with tetraplegia. There were no HRV differences between Early and Late recordings, across the inpatient admission, demographics, or SCI phenotype. However, improvement in neurologic exam was accompanied by increased parasympathetic tone (mean RR increased by 172 ms SD 61, P = .005). Patients with PI demonstrated lower sympathetic (SNS) activity (decreased LF by 472 ms
CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary evidence suggests HRV in acute SCI is stable across time and day during inpatient rehabilitation and may be correlated to clinical sequalae of ANS dysfunction and neurologic recovery. Comparisons to published work suggest that HRV may measure the progression in the ANS from acute to chronic phase after SCI.
Keywords
Male, Humans, Female, Spinal Cord Injuries, Heart Rate, Inpatients, Quadriplegia, Autonomic Nervous System
DOI
10.1080/10790268.2022.2052621
PMID
35353022
PMCID
PMC10114963
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
March 2022
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes
Included in
Neurology Commons, Neurosciences Commons, Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons, Trauma Commons