Heart rate response to respiratory events with or without leg movements

Abstract

Study Objective: This study compares the heart rate responses to the termination of respiratory events, both with and without associated leg movements. Methods: Heart rate was measured for 15 R-R intervals before (T-15 to T-1) and after (T+1 to T+15) the termination of respiratory events as a change from the baseline rate, defined as the average of 10 R-R intervals occurring before the termination of each respiratory event (T-15 to T-6). Individual heart rate changes of the 21 patients were then averaged separately for 10 respiratory events with and 10 without associated leg movements. Setting: N/A. Participants: Twenty-one patients with obstructive sleep apnea who had respiratory events bot..