Determination and Comparison of Heart Rate Variability and Pulse Rate Variability

Lately, pulse rate variability (PRV) analysis has been intensely studied, being used as an alternative to heart rate variability (HRV) for portable systems available on the market. Due to the simplicity of the waveform in comparison to that of the electrocardiographic signal (ECG), the photoplethysmographic (PPG) analysis is considered an interesting method for determining HRV parameters. In this paper, we have analyzed the HRV and PRV in time domain and frequency domain. In doing so in this study we have used 17 simultaneous records of both ECG and PPG signals have been used. We have compared the results and determined where the biggest differences occurred, some being noticeable in time domain parameters and others in frequency range parameters as well. Most correlations between HRV and PRV parameters, both in time domain and in frequency domain, are over 0.96. This enable us to establish the fact that there is a link between HRV and PRV parameters. We have analyzed attentively a particular case in which we obtained the lowest HRV and PRV correlation value in the frequency domain. The result was improved after we used a time series correction. It was therefore concluded that we can determine the HRV parameters based on the PPG signal in resting situations.