AUTHOR=Li Jiayi , Xing Yantao , Zhang Yike , Cui Chang , Wang Jing , Li Jianqing , Liu Chengyu 

TITLE=Evaluation of autonomic nervous system activity in intradialytic hypotension using entropy and skin sympathetic nerve activity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 17 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1196750

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1196750

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=The function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is crucial in the development of intradialytic hypotension (IDH). This study introduced the entropy of heart rate variability (HRV) and skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA) to provide a complementary nonlinear and dynamic perspective for evaluating ANS function concerning IDH. 93 patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) were enrolled, and the baseline data, biochemical indicators, electrocardiogram (ECG), and SKNA were collected. The patients were separated into the IDH and nonIDH groups based on the thresholds, which were characterized as reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP) of at least 20 mm Hg or mean arterial pressure (MAP) of at least 10 mm Hg. We developed a logistic regression model for IDH after analyzing the changes in the time domain, frequency domain, the entropy of HRV, and SKNA indices during HD. After 4 hours HD, the detected results for heart rate, the ratio of low frequency and high frequency (LF/HF), and average SKNA (aSKNA) all increased in both groups. Nine of the ten HRV indices and aSKNA in the nonIDH group were higher than those in the IDH group at most moments. aSKNA was positively correlated with heart rate (p = 0.0001) and LF/HF (p = 0.0005) in the nonIDH group, while the correlation disappeared in the IDH group, which indicated a worse ANS response in IDH patients. The logistic regression model exhibited the results of initial SBP [odds ratio (OR) 1.076; p = 0.001], and the difference between the last and first segments (DLF) of heart rate [OR 1.101; p = 0.012], aSKNA [OR 0.209; p = 0.034], and LF/HF [OR 2.908; p = 0.017], which were independent indicators for IDH. The new nonlinear and dynamic assessment perspectives provided by the entropy of HRV and SKNA help to distinguish differences in ANS patterns between IDH patients and nonIDH patients and have the potential to be used in clinical monitoring for HD patients.