Correlation of heart rate turbulence with sympathovagal balance in patients with acute myocardial infarction

To examine the relationship among heart rate turbulence parameters, arterial baroreflex sensitivity, and cardiac sympathetic nerve activity, 15 patients with acute myocardial infarction, presenting with sinus rhythm and > or = 3 ventricular premature beats/24 hr were studied at least 2 weeks after acute myocardial infarction. Turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS) were averaged from 3 respective ventricular premature beats. Early heart-to-mediastinum ratio (H/M), delayed H/M, and washout rate were calculated from iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I MIBG) scintigraphy. Arterial baroreflex sensitivity was calculated by phenyrephrine method. Arterial baroreflex sensitivity correlated significantly with TO (r = - 0.75, p < .01) and TS (r = 0.53, p < .05). TO had no correlations with early H/M, delayed H/M, and washout rate. There were no significant correlations between TS and early H/M. However, TS had significant correlation with delayed H/M (r = 0.74, p < .01) and washout rate (r = -0.71, p < .01). Thus, heart rate turbulence of TO and TS parameters depend on sympathovagal balance.