Heart rate variability is associated with motor outcome 3-month after stroke
April 27, 2016
OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this paper was to determine whether heart rate variability (HRV) acquired upon admission to inpatient rehabilitation is associated with motor outcome 3 months after stroke. The secondary objective of this paper was to determine whether HRV shows a strong association with the motor outcome 3 months after stroke in individuals with severe initial motor impairments. METHODS: We recruited 13 patients with acute stroke from an acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital. A Holter monitor was placed upon admission and Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity and Lower Extremity Subscales were used to assess the movement of the affected upper and lower extremities 3 months after admission. The standard deviation of R-R intervals was used to quantify HRV. RESULTS: A Spearman rank correlation revealed a strong positive and significant correlation between HRV upon admission and movement of the affected upper extremity (r=.70, P=.01) and affected lower extremity (r=.60, P=.03) at 3 months. For patients with severe initial motor impairments, HRV showed a strong positive association with the movement of the affected upper (r=.61, P=.04) and lower (r=.70, P=.04) extremities at 3 months. CONCLUSION: HRV is strongly associated with motor outcome after stroke and provides a promising marker to explore the mechanisms associated with motor recovery after stroke.
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