Longitudinal follow-up of cardiac vagal activity in individuals undergoing endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy

• Published in: Jornal brasileiro de pneumologia Vol. 44; no. 6; pp. 456 - 460
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Ana Paula, Ramos, Plinio Dos Santos, Montessi, Jorge, Montessi, Flávia Duarte, Nicolini, Eveline Montessi, Almeida, Edmilton Pereira de, Ricardo, Djalma Rabelo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia 01.11.2018
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Eletrocardiografia; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Heart Conduction System - physiopathology; Heart Rate - physiology; Hiperidrose; Humans; Hyperhidrosis - physiopathology; Hyperhidrosis - surgery; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Original; RESPIRATORY SYSTEM; Rest - physiology; Simpatectomia; Sistema nervoso autônomo; Sympathectomy - methods; Teste de esforço; Thoracoscopy; Time Factors; Young Adult; Hyperhidrosis; Sympathectomy; Hiperidrose; Autonomic nervous system; Teste de esforço; Sistema nervoso autônomo; Electrocardiography; Eletrocardiografia; Simpatectomia; Exercise test
• ISSN: 1806-3713; 1806-3756; 1806-3756
• DOI: 10.1590/s1806-37562017000000464

To conduct a longitudinal investigation of cardiac vagal activity (CVA) by measuring resting HR and calculating the cardiac vagal index (CVI) in individuals undergoing sympathectomy for the treatment of primary hyperhidrosis. This was a descriptive longitudinal study involving 22 patients, 13 of whom were female. The mean age was 22.5 ± 8.8 years. The palms, soles, and axillae were the most commonly affected sites. Resting HR was measured by an electrocardiogram performed 20 min before the 4-second exercise test (4sET), which was used in order to evaluate CVA at three different time points: before surgery, one month after surgery, and four years after surgery. Resting HR (expressed as mean ± SE) was found to have decreased significantly at 1 month after surgery (73.1 ± 1.6 bpm before surgery vs. 69.7 ± 1.2 bpm at one month after surgery; p = 0.01). However, the HR values obtained at four years after surgery tended to be similar to those obtained before surgery (p = 0.31). The CVI (expressed as mean ± SE) was found to have increased significantly at one month after surgery (1.44 ± 0.04 before surgery vs. 1.53 ± 0.03 at one month after surgery; p = 0.02). However, the CVI obtained at four years after surgery tended to be similar to that obtained before surgery (p = 0.10). At one month after sympathectomy for primary hyperhidrosis, patients present with changes in resting HR and CVA, both of which tend to return to baseline at four years after surgery.