Heart rate variability and electrocardiogram waveform as predictors of morbidity during hypothermia and rewarming in rats

Abstract

This study examined electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform, heart rate (HR), mean blood pressure (BP), and HR variability as potential autonomic signatures of hypothermia and rewarming. Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats had telemetry transmitters surgically implanted, and 2 weeks were allowed for recovery prior to induction of hypothermia. Rats were lightly anesthetized (sodium pentobarbital, 35 mg/kg i.p.) and placed in a coil of copper tubing through which temperature-controlled water was circulated. Animals were cooled to a core temperature (Tc) of 20°C, maintained there for 30 min, and then rewarmed. Data (Tc, BP, HR from ECG, and 10-s strips of ECG waveforms) were collected every 5 min throughout hypothermia and rewarming. Both HR and BP declined after initial increases with the drop in HR starting at a higher Tc than the drop in BP (29.6 ± 2.4°C vs. 27.1 ± 3.3°C, p < 0.05). Animals that were not successfully rewarmed exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the normalized standard deviation of interbeat intervals (IBI) throughout cooling compared with animals that were successfully rewarmed. The T wave of the ECG increased in amplitude and area with decreasing Tc. T-wave amplitude and IBI variability show potential as predictors of survival in hypothermic victims.Key words: hypothermia, rewarming, heart rate variability, ECG, blood pressure.