[Analysis of heart rate variability. Mathematical description and practical application].

The analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) has recently become established as a non-invasive measurement for estimation of demands on the cardiovascular system. The HRV reflects the interaction of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and allows the influence of the autonomic nervous system on the regulation of the cardiovascular system to be mathematically described. This review explicates the analysis method of HRV for time, frequency and non-linear methods as well as the range of parameters and the demand on acquisition time. The necessity and possibilities of artefact correction and advice for the selection of a reasonable acquisition period are discussed and standard values for selected HRV parameters are presented.