HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 288/4/H1763    most recent 00785.2004v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (16) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Smith, L. L. Articles by Billman, G. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smith, L. L. Articles by Billman, G. E.

Heart rate recovery after exercise: a predictor of ventricular fibrillation susceptibility after myocardial infarction

Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Submitted 3 August 2004 ; accepted in final form 18 November 2004

Heart rate recovery after exercise, thought to be related to cardiac parasympathetic tone, has been shown to be a prognostic tool for all-cause mortality. However, the relationship between this variable and confirmed susceptibility to ventricular fibrillation (VF) has not been established. Therefore, myocardial ischemia was induced with a 2-min occlusion of the left circumflex artery during the last minute of exercise in mongrel dogs with myocardial infarction (n = 105 dogs). VF was induced in 66 animals (susceptible), whereas the remaining 39 dogs had no arrhythmias (resistant). On a previous day, ECG was recorded and a time-series analysis of heart rate variability was measured 30, 60, and 120 s after submaximal exercise (treadmill running). The heart rate recovery was significantly greater in resistant dogs than in susceptible dogs at all three times, with the most dramatic difference at the 30-s mark (change from maximum: 48.1 ± 3.6 beats/min, resistant dogs; 31.0 ± 2.2 beats/min, susceptible dogs). Correspondingly, indexes of parasympathetic tone increased to a significantly greater extent in resistant dogs at 30 and 60 s after exercise. These differences were eliminated by atropine pretreatment. When considered together, these data suggest that resistant animals exhibit a more rapid recovery of vagal activity after exercise than those susceptible to VF. As such, postexercise heart rate recovery may help identify patients with a high risk for VF following myocardial infarction.

cardiac parasympathetic tone; heart rate variability; sudden death; arrhythmia risk

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. S. Heffernan, C. A. Fahs, K. K. Shinsako, S. Y. Jae, and B. Fernhall Heart rate recovery and heart rate complexity following resistance exercise training and detraining in young men Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, November 1, 2007; 293(5): H3180 - H3186. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. A. Dewland, A. S. Androne, F. A. Lee, R. J. Lampert, and S. D. Katz Effect of acetylcholinesterase inhibition with pyridostigmine on cardiac parasympathetic function in sedentary adults and trained athletes Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, July 1, 2007; 293(1): H86 - H92. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K.-J. Bar, M. K. Boettger, S. Berger, V. Baier, H. Sauer, V. K. Yeragani, and A. Voss Decreased baroreflex sensitivity in acute schizophrenia J Appl Physiol, March 1, 2007; 102(3): 1051 - 1056. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. E. Billman and M. Kukielka Effect of endurance exercise training on heart rate onset and heart rate recovery responses to submaximal exercise in animals susceptible to ventricular fibrillation J Appl Physiol, January 1, 2007; 102(1): 231 - 240. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Legramante, F. Iellamo, M. Massaro, S. Sacco, and A. Galante Effects of residential exercise training on heart rate recovery in coronary artery patients Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, January 1, 2007; 292(1): H510 - H515. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. E. Billman Heart rate response to onset of exercise: evidence for enhanced cardiac sympathetic activity in animals susceptible to ventricular fibrillation Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, July 1, 2006; 291(1): H429 - H435. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. Hautala, T. Rankinen, A. M. Kiviniemi, T. H. Makikallio, H. V. Huikuri, C. Bouchard, and M. P. Tulppo Heart rate recovery after maximal exercise is associated with acetylcholine receptor M2 (CHRM2) gene polymorphism Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, July 1, 2006; 291(1): H459 - H466. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Kukielka, D. R. Seals, and G. E. Billman Cardiac vagal modulation of heart rate during prolonged submaximal exercise in animals with healed myocardial infarctions: effects of training Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, April 1, 2006; 290(4): H1680 - H1685. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]