ARTERIAL PRESSURE VARIABILITY FOR EVALUATION OF AUTONOMIC NERVOUS ACTIVITY OF PATIENTS WITH LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE

Abstract

Purpose: Arterial pressure variability (APV) is the power density values of pressure signals and high frequency (0.15 to 0.4 Hz) and low frequency (0.04 to 0.15 Hz) components of APV are regarded as the function of autonomic nervous system (ANS). APV was examined for evaluation of the ANS activity of patients with left ventrienlar assist device (LVAD). Methods: Arterial pressure signals were acquired every 2 hours at 100 Hz for 6 minitutes in patients in ICU. Power spectral analysis was carried out, and APV was observed in 3 patients with Zeon LVADs before their transfer for cardiac transplantation. For comparison, APV was also obsereved in 17 patients with IABP and/or PCPS. Results: The observation periods of 3 patients with LVADs were 15, 33 and 58 days respectively. The normalized power spectral component with low frequency (LFAnorm) was depressed initially and was gradually increased before their transfer. Although the value also gradually increased in 13 patients with LABP and/or PCPS, sustained low values of LFAnorm of APV in 4 patients were related to prolonged mechanical support, and 3 patients among them were expired consequently. Conclusion: Depressed LFAnorm of APV represented marked stress on ANS. The study results suggest that LVAD support exert a favorable effect on ANS in patients with severe heart failure before cardiac transplantation.