A Case Report on the Use of Heart Rate Variability and the Treatment Effect of <italic>Bunshimgi-eum</italic> on Autonomic Dysfunction After Cerebral Infarction

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the use of heart rate variability on a stroke patient with autonomic dysfunction and the effectiveness of <i>Bunshimgi-eum</i>.Case report: The patient showed autonomic dysfunction, including chest discomfort, 煩燥 (sweating, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, lightheadedness), and abdomen discomfort (dyspepsia, heartburn) after ischemic stroke. She was treated with a herbal medicine (<i>Bunshimgi-eum</i>) through complex Korean medicine treatment. The effect was evaluated using heart rate variability (HRV), Mini-Mental State Examination-DS (MMSE-DS), mean pulse rate, and subjective percentage of symptoms. After treatment, the HRV score, MMSE-DS score, and subjective percentage of symptoms improved, and the pulse rate decreased from the upper boundary value.Discussion: The results suggest that HRV may be useful in evaluating stroke patients with autonomic dysfunction and that <i>Bunshimgi-eum</i> is suitable for treatment.