Effect of expiratory and inspiratory breath-holding on the lead-field spatial vectorcardiogram

The effect of respiration-induced heart movements on the ECG

We present a model describing the rotation of the cardiac vector as a possible mechanism resulting in the presence of respiratory information in the ECG. The way in which this information is revealed is analyzed and the predictions subjected to qualitative experimental assessment via spectral analysis. The results show that respiratory frequencies occur in the ECG spectrum due to heart movement. By measuring on a patient wearing a pacemaker and ventilated to control respiratory rate we show that even in the absence of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) there is a baseband information in the ECG spectrum, attributable neither to electrode artifacts nor to emg, and sidebands from the respiratory cycle.

Respiratory variation in Frank vectorcardiography and echocardiography in children

Forty pediatric patients underwent echocardiographic and Frank vectorcardiographic studies during normal respiration. The right ventricular minor axis (RVEDD) increased significantly with inspiration (p less than 0.005), while the left ventricular minor axis did not significantly change. The distance from the anterior chest wall to the center of the left ventricle did significantly increase with inspiration (p less than 0.005). Some vectorcardiographic parameters changed with inspiration, also. Both the maximal spatial vector to the left (MSVL) and the X to the left (X-L) significantly decreased with inspiration. Although the average magnitude of these changes was small (10-15%), there was wide variation. Five of twenty-one patients with left ventricular hypertrophy during expiration had a clearly normal Frank VCG during inspiration. It is suggested that phases of respiration should be monitored when evaluating the Frank VCG in pediatric patients.