Prediction of atrial fibrillation and its successful termination based on recurrence quantification analysis of ECG

摘要

Atrial fibrillation ranks among the most common heart rhythm disorders. Considering the lack of any trusted method capable of foreseeing possible recurrence of atrial fibrillation after it has been terminated, nonlinear analyses of beat-to-beat heart rate variability demonstrate promising potential. This work focuses on verifying the capability of the nonlinear methods to differentiate patients with early recurrence of atrial fibrillation from those with stable normal sinus rhythm after cardioversion. Both patients groups underwent the active-standing test involving ECG measurement. Recurrence quantification analysis was used to evaluate sequences of intervals between two consecutive heart beats. The data were derived from body surface ECG signal. The results selected those parameters capable of identification of patient groups during the initial phase of the active-standing test prior to cardioversion.