Cardiac diagnosis based on probability applied to patients with pacemakers

Abstract

Introduction: the theory of probability allowed the development of a new diagnostic aid methodology of Holter. In this work we applied this method to diagnose patients with pacemakers. Methods: we selected 5 normal Holter and 10 patients over 21 years with pacemaker implantation. We calculated the probability of the number of frequencies obtained in the ranges defined with respect to the totality of frequencies obtained in each Holter, during at least 21 hours, quantifying the number of ranges in each patient, in addition to estimating the difference between the most likely two frequency value ranges and the sum of the probabilities of these values. We assessed the likelihood of the total number of beats per hour from ranges of 250 beats, determining the maximum likelihood found in each Holter and determining the physical mathematical diagnosis based on parameters established on the previous work. Results: the dynamics with pacemakers presented for 1evaluation parameter a total range of frequencies that ranged from 9 to 16, where only one holter presented a value greater than 14, requiring evaluation with 2 and 3 parameters, showing that dynamics of patients with implanted pacemakers have always a characteristic disease behavior. Normal dynamics showed ranges between 16 and 21, with only two holter showing values less than or equal to 17, which when evaluated with the remaining parameters were diagnosed as normal. The overlap of probabilities of the heart rates evidence that the heart rate variability does not differentiate essentially normality from disease, nor evolution among these. Conclusion: the method based on the likelihood is suitable for detecting the abnormality state of heart dynamics of patients with pacemakers.