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Effects of breathing frequency on the heart rate deceleration capacity and heart rate acceleration capacity

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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The deceleration capacity (DC) and acceleration capacity (AC) of heart rate as well as the respiratory rate predict outcome after acute myocardial infarction. We evaluated the relation between breathing frequency and both DC and AC, as well as the difference between them.

Methods

We studied fourteen healthy young adults who breathed spontaneously and controlled their breathing to rates of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 Hz in a supine position. A 5-min R–R interval time series without movement artifacts or ectopic beats was obtained from each studied period and scanned to identify the anchor points that were characterized by a value longer or shorter than the preceding value. Averaged changes of R–R intervals surrounding the deceleration and acceleration anchors were calculated as DC and AC, respectively.

Results

The magnitudes of DC and AC increased progressively as breathing frequency decreased (Both p < 0.001 by one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance). The magnitude of DC was larger than the magnitude of AC during 0.1-Hz breathing (95 % confidence interval of their difference: 1.7–9.7 ms), while the difference between them reduced to near zero at higher frequencies.

Conclusions

Slow breathing enhances the magnitudes of DC and AC simultaneously under the conditions used in this study. The increase in the magnitude of DC is significantly greater than that of AC.

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Abbreviations

AC:

Acceleration capacity

DC:

Deceleration capacity

ECG:

Electrocardiography

HRAGI :

Guzik’s index of heart rate asymmetry

HRV:

Heart rate variability

MI:

Myocardial infarction

MSNA:

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity

PRSA:

Phase-rectified signal averaging

RRI:

R–R interval

SR:

Spontaneous respiration

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant (10201-62-062) from Taipei City Hospital (Taiwan) and a grant (102MG09) from Science Park Administration, National Science Council. The authors did not receive any financial support from any manufacturer. The authors take full responsibility for the experimental design, data collection, data analysis, and the interpretation of the findings. We thank Ms Chieh-Wen Chen for her technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yong-Ping Wang

  2. Institute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan

    Terry B. J. Kuo, Chun-Ting Lai & Cheryl C. H. Yang

  3. Sleep Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Terry B. J. Kuo, Chun-Ting Lai & Cheryl C. H. Yang

  4. Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Terry B. J. Kuo & Cheryl C. H. Yang

  5. Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Terry B. J. Kuo & Cheryl C. H. Yang

  6. Institute of Translational and Interdisciplinary Medicine, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Terry B. J. Kuo

  7. Chief of Division of Translational Medicine, Stroke and Neurovascular Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Terry B. J. Kuo

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  1. Yong-Ping Wang
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  2. Terry B. J. Kuo
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  3. Chun-Ting Lai
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cheryl C. H. Yang.

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Communicated by Keith Phillip George.

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Wang, YP., Kuo, T.B.J., Lai, CT. et al. Effects of breathing frequency on the heart rate deceleration capacity and heart rate acceleration capacity. Eur J Appl Physiol 115, 2415–2420 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3219-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3219-4

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