HRV: Science and history
HRV( Heart Rate Variability): Worldwide recognized gold standard in medicine
and optimal for training control in competitive athletes
To avoid misinterpretation of the various parameters, guidelines for the performance and interpretation of HRV analyses (HRV measurements) were established in 1996 by:
- Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology
- North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology
Source: Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. Heart rate variability. Standards of measurement, physiologic interpretation, and clinical use. Circulation 1996; 93:1043-1065
Milestones of HRV analysis / ANS analysis:
1891: E. Müller shows lower increase in heart rate on atropine in cardiac patients
1927: Winterberg and Wenkelbach describe respiratory sinus arrhythmia
1965: Hon and Lee describe changes in RR intervals in fetal distress.
1972: Hinkel et al. show increased risk of cardiac death with reduced respiratory sinus arrhythmia
1978: Wolf et al. describe the relationship between HRV and infarct mortality.
1981: (Akselrod et al. 1981): “Spectral analysis of HRV is significant as a non-invasive, quantitative measure of the functionality of cardiovascular control circuits”.
1990: HRV analysis finds its way into clinical cardiology and diabetology
2000: HRV becomes part of risk stratification for sudden cardiac death
2010: HRV analysis is included in the program for national care guidelines in the field of neuropathy in adult-onset diabetes.
2011: HRV analysis is included in the curriculum “Special Pain Medicine and Psychosomatics” of the Hannover Medical School.
Der Wissenschaftler von Hering prophezeite 1925:
„Die weise Benutzung des vegetativen Systems wird einmal den Hauptteil der ärztlichen Kunst ausmachen.“
Dr. Johann Diederich Hahn-Godeffroy:
„Das Vegetativum, die Balance aus Anspannung und Entspannung, harmonisch in der Waage zu halten, bedeutet Lebenskunst.“