Semi-Automated Calculation of Baroreflex Sensitivity (BRS) Indices

The aim of this research was to objectify the method of semi-automatized calculation of the baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) indices. In sixty-nine individuals with a history of vasovagal syncope and no other neurological or systemic illnesses (mean age 47.04 ± 11.18, 55 females) blood pressure (BP) response to Valsalva maneuver (VM) was performed and BRS indices were calculated from the systolic BP curves (sBP): BRSa1, alpha BRSa (α-BRSa) and beta BRSa (β-BRSa). Semi-automatizated software was created according to previously known formulas, with additional calculation of average baseline BP values. Median values for manually calculated indices were 21.45 for BRSa1, 7.01 for α-BRSa, and 1.37 for β-BRSa. For semi-automatically calculated indices values were 23.91 for BRSa1, 6.99 for α-BRSa, and 1.19 for β-BRSa. There was a statistically significant correlation between the manually calculated and semiautomatically generated results for all three coefficients (BRSa1: rs = 0.920, p < 0.001; α-BRSa: rs = 0.879, p < 0.001; β-BRSa: rs = 0.889, p < 0.001). Automatization of BRS indices calculation shows results consistent and highly corelated with manually calculated indices, reduces time required for calculation and reduces the impact of subjective human component on the calculations. Method for semi-automated calculation of BRS indices enhances the speed and precision of the calculation rendering the process more pragmatic for future studies.