Browsing by Author "Adams, David E."

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Simultaneous noninvasive recording of electrocardiogram and skin sympathetic nerve activity (neuECG)
(2020-05-01)
Kusayama, Takashi
;
Wong, Johnson
;
Liu, Xiao
;
He, Wenbo
;
Doytchinova, Anisiia
neuECG is the simultaneous noninvasive recording of ECG and skin sympathetic nerve activity and thus can directly record sympathetic nerve activity over a long period of time without the need for invasive procedures. neuECG, the simultaneous noninvasive recording of ECG and skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA), directly records sympathetic nerve activity over a long period of time. It can be used to measure sympathetic tone in healthy subjects and in subjects with non-cardiovascular diseases. The electrical activity that can be measured on the surface of the skin originates from the heart, the muscle or nerve structures. Because the frequency content of nerve activity falls in a higher frequency range than that of the ECG and myopotential, it is possible to use high-pass or band-pass filtering to specifically isolate the SKNA. neuECG is voltage calibrated and does not require invasive procedures to impale electrodes in nerves and thus has advantages over microneurography. Here, we present a protocol that takes <10 min to set up. The neuECG can be continuously recorded over a 24-h period or longer. We also describe methods to efficiently analyze neuECG from humans using commercially available hardware and software to facilitate adoption of this technology in clinical research.
Simultaneous recordings of intrinsic cardiac nerve activity and skin sympathetic nerve activity from human patients during the postoperative period
(2017-11-01)
Shen, Mark J.
;
Coffey, Arthur C.
;
Straka, Susan
;
Adams, David E.
;
Wagner, David B.
BACKGROUND Intrinsic cardiac nerve activity (ICNA) and skin nerve activity (SKNA) are both associated with cardiac arrhythmias in dogs. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that ICNA and SKNA correlate with postoperative cardiac arrhythmias in humans. METHODS Eleven patients (mean age 60 6 13 years; 4 women) were enrolled in this study. Electrical signals were simultaneously recorded from electrocardiogram (ECG) patch electrodes on the chest wall and from 2 temporary pacing wires placed during open heart surgery on the left atrial epicardial fat pad. The signals were filtered to display SKNA and ICNA. Premature atrial contractions (PACs) and premature ventricular contractions were determined manually. The SKNA and ICNA of the first 300 minutes of each patient were calculated minute by minute to determine baseline average amplitudes of nerve activities and to determine their correlation with arrhythmia RESULTS We processed 1365 6 973 minutes of recording per patient. Low-amplitude SKNA and ICNA were present at all time, while the burst discharges were observed much less frequently. Both SKNA and burst ICNA were significantly associated with the onset of PACs and premature ventricular contractions. Baseline average ICNA (aICNA), but not average SKNA, had a significant association with PAC burden. The correlation coefficient (r) between aICNA and PAC burden was 0.78 (P<.01). A patient with the greatest aICNA developed postoperative atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION ICNA and SKNA can be recorded from human patients in the postoperative period. The baseline magnitude of ICNA correlates with PAC burden and development of postoperative atrial fibrillation.