Application of Recurrence-Based Methods to Heart Work Analysis

Currently, for the purposes of recorded ECG signals interpretation, the classical methods involving analysis of geometrical properties of the recorded waveforms in time domain are used. Such an analysis consists in determining the values of parameters describing the heart rate variability. However, these indicators can not be treated as an infallible criterion for diagnosis and, moreover, the limits of increasing the accuracy of ECG analysis by increasing the accuracy of finding its characteristic points have already been reached. Therefore, in the paper, for the purposes of analysis of registered ECG signals and acoustical recordings of heart work, it is proposed to use the recurrence plots and RQA analysis methods that consist in searching for the recurrence properties of the registered signals. Application of the recurrence-based methods is natural due to the cyclic character of the heart work while providing patterns characteristic for different cardiac dysfunctions supported by objective, quantitative measures will contribute to early, credible and reliable classification of cardiovascular dysfunction.