A method and system for heart rate variability analysis

A method and system for heart rate variability analysis is provided. In a preferred embodiment, a computer system generates various statistical and spectral measurements of heart rate variability based on user-specified qualifications and displays the results. The computer system includes a statistical and spectral data component. The statistical component of the computer system includes a storage device for storing electrocardiographic data, an interval detector for determining the length of heart beat intervals in the electrocardiographic data, a minute data generator for accumulating statistical measurements based on the intervals and user-specified qualifications, a period data generator for accumulating statistical data measurements based on the generated minute data and user-specified time period and qualifications, a region data generator for accumulating statistical measurements based on the generated minute data in a user-specified region of time, and a display controller for displaying the period data and region data. The spectral component of the computer system includes a data storage device for storing electrocardiographic data, an interval detector for determining the length of heart beat intervals in the electrocardiographic data, an instantaneous interval function data generator for generating instantaneous interval function data based on the interval data and user-specified qualifications, a filter and resampler for generating resampled data by filtering and resampling the instantaneous interval function data, a power spectral density data generator for generating spectral density data based on the resampled data and user-specified qualifications, a period spectral data generator for accumulating period and region spectral data measurements based on the generated power spectral density data, a time period, and user-specified qualifications, and a display controller for displaying period data and region data. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention allows a user to specify minimum and maximum beat interval times, whether intervals near atrial and ventricular ectopic beats should be disregarded, the time period over which data is to be accumulated, the difference margins for beat triplets, the region of time over which data is accumulated, and whether data is to be displayed in graphical or tabular format.