Wiener-Granger causality in QT-HP variability interactions

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2015 Aug:2015:1781-4. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2015.7318724.

Abstract

The study exploits a Wiener-Granger causality (WGC) approach in the time domain to assess directionality of the dynamical interactions between QT interval and heart period (HP) during a graded head-up tilt protocol challenging the cardiovascular control as a function of the tilt table inclination. QT interval and HP are approximated from the surface ECG as the temporal distance between the R-wave apex and T-wave offset and between two consecutive R-wave peaks respectively. The adopted WGC approach accounts for the confounding effect of respiration (RESP) affecting both QT and HP. Causality ratios (CRs) from HP to QT given RESP (CRHP→QT|RESP) and from QT to HP given RESP (CRQT→HP|RESP) were computed and their significance was tested via F-test. We found that, regardless of the tilt table angle, CRHP→QT|RESP is significant, while CRQT→HP|RESP is negligible. CRHP→QT|RESP showed a trend towards a decrease with tilt table angle. These findings suggested that the causal direction from HP over QT is dominant compared to the reverse one and sympathetic activation induced a QT-HP uncoupling.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms*
  • Electrocardiography*
  • Female
  • Heart / physiology
  • Heart Rate / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Young Adult