Annals of biomedical engineering
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Heart rate variability dynamics during low-dose propofol and dexmedetomidine anesthesia.
Heart rate variability (HRV) has been observed to decrease during anesthesia, but changes in HRV during loss and recovery of consciousness have not been studied in detail. In this study, HRV dynamics during low-dose propofol (N = 10) and dexmedetomidine (N = 9) anesthesia were estimated by using time-varying methods. Standard time-domain and frequency-domain measures of HRV were included in the analysis. ⋯ Prior to loss of consciousness, an increase in HF component power indicating increase in vagal control of heart rate (HR) was observed for both anesthetics. The relative increase of vagal control over sympathetic control of HR was overall larger for dexmedetomidine which is in line with the known sympatholytic effect of this anesthetic. Even though the inter-individual variability in the HRV parameters was substantial, the results suggest the usefulness of HRV analysis in monitoring dexmedetomidine anesthesia.