Wiener-Granger causality in QT-HP variability interactions

The study exploits a Wiener-Granger causality (WGC) approach in the time domain to assess directionality of the dynamical interactions between QT interval and heart period (HP) during a graded head-up tilt protocol challenging the cardiovascular control as a function of the tilt table inclination. QT interval and HP are approximated from the surface ECG as the temporal distance between the R-wave apex and T-wave offset and between two consecutive R-wave peaks respectively. The adopted WGC approach accounts for the confounding effect of respiration (RESP) affecting both QT and HP. Causality ratios (CRs) from HP to QT given RESP (CRHP→QT-RESP) and from QT to HP given RESP (CRQT→HP-RESP) were computed and their significance was tested via F-test. We found that, regardless of the tilt table angle, CRHP→QT-RESP is significant, while CRQT→HP-RESP is negligible. CRHP→QT-RESP showed a trend towards a decrease with tilt table angle. These findings suggested that the causal direction from HP over QT is dominant compared to the reverse one and sympathetic activation induced a QT-HP uncoupling.