Poincar Plot Methods for Heart Rate Variability Analysis

The Poincar plot (named after Henri Poincar) is a popular two-dimensional visualization tool for dynamic systems due to its intuitive display of the dynamic properties of a system from a time series. This book presents the basis of Poincar plot and focus especially on traditional and new methods for analysing the geometry, temporal and spatial dynamics disclosed by the Poincar plot to evaluate heart rate variability (HRV). Mathematical descriptors of Poincar plot have been developed to quantify the autonomic nervous system activity (sympathetic and parasympathetic modulation of heart rate). Poincar plot analysis has also been used in various clinical diagnostic settings like diabetes, chronic heart failure, chronic renal failure and sleep apnea syndrome. The primary aims of quantification of the Poincar plots are to discriminate healthy physiological systems from pathological conditions and to classify the stage of a disease. The HRV analysis by Poincar plot has opened up ample opportunities for important clinical and research applications. Therefore, the present book can be used either for self-study, as a supplement to courses in linear and nonlinear systems, or as a modern monograph by researchers in this field of HRV analysis.