[Continuous analysis of heart rate variability for examination of cardiac autonomic nervous system after alcohol intoxication].

BACKGROUND

Alcohol intoxication is associated with deterioration of cardiac nervous function and increased mortality.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Therefore, 14 patients (eight male, six female; 24-59 years) with pure ethanol intoxication and toxic levels of 210-520 mg/dl in the blood were prospectively investigated. For evaluation of changes in sympathetic and vagal modulation, an analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) was performed.

RESULTS

The results show that HRV in general is suppressed in dependence on blood alcohol levels. Most correlation was found in short-term variability of frequency domain (HF power) after logarithmic transformation (p < 0.001). Also the discrimination of moderate versus severe intoxication was greatest in HF power (p < 0.001). During recovery, all HRV parameters increased to significantly higher figures within 24 h (p < 0.001), but elevated LF/HF ratio as a sign of sympathetic predominance continued over the whole observation period (p < 0.001 to reference). Regarding the danger of possibly life-threatening arrhythmias, the LF/HF ratio showed significantly increased figures in the period of maximal development of supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias (p = 0.001 to 24-h mean of LF/HF).

CONCLUSION

These results underline the longer-lasting hyperadrenergic state during "holiday heart syndrome". The still depressed cardiac autonomic nervous system after 24 h, especially in the vagal activity-describing part, might be basically relevant for later occurrence of cardiovascular complications, if additional trigger factors become present.