Revista Goiana de Medicina
Análise da variabilidade da frequência cardíaca durante a internação hospitalar em pacientes com lesão medular
By Nathália Moura Gonçalves, GIULLIANO GARDENGHI, Letícia de Souza Pereira and 3 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Spinal cord injury (SCI), especially at cervical and upper thoracic levels, impairs cardiovascular autonomic regulation, resulting in changes in heart rate (HR) and responses to postural stimuli. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a noninvasive method used to assess this modulation.
Objective
To analyze HRV in adult patients with spinal cord injury during hospital hospitalization, comparing individuals with injuries above and below the T5 level in different body positions.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in the wards of an Emergency Hospital in Goiás, Brazil, including individuals aged ≥18 years of both sexes diagnosed with spinal cord injury. HRV was recorded using a Polar H10 heart rate monitor in the supine position at 0° and with head-of-bed elevation to 60°, for 5 minutes in each position. Data were analyzed using Kubios HRV software. The following parameters were assessed: mean RR interval, mean HR, RMSSD, SDNN, LF/HF ratio, and the non-linear index DFA α1. Participants were stratified according to the level of injury (above and below T5). Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26, applying the Wilcoxon and Mann–Whitney U tests, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.