Applications of complexity analysis in clinical heart failure

Abstract

Heart failure is known to influence heart rhythm in patients. Complexity analysis techniques, including techniques associated with entropy, have great potential for providing a better understanding of cardiac rhythms, and for helping research in this area. We review the analysis principles of conventional time-domain analysis, frequency-domain analysis and of newer complexity analysis. We then illustrate the techniques using real clinical data, allowing a comparison of the techniques, and also of the differences between normal heart rate variability and that associated with heart failure.