@unpublished{KurthsVossWittetal.1994,
  author    = {Kurths, J{\"u}rgen and Voss, A. and Witt, Annette and Saparin, P. and Kleiner, H. J. and Wessel, Niels},
  title     = {Quantitative analysis of heart rate variability},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-13470},
  year      = {1994},
  abstract  = {In the modern industrialized countries every year several hundred thousands of people die due to the sudden cardiac death. The individual risk for this sudden cardiac death cannot be defined precisely by common available, non-invasive diagnostic tools like Holter-monitoring, highly amplified ECG and traditional linear analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). Therefore, we apply some rather unconventional methods of nonlinear dynamics to analyse the HRV. Especially, some complexity measures that are basing on symbolic dynamics as well as a new measure, the renormalized entropy, detect some abnormalities in the HRV of several patients who have been classified in the low risk group by traditional methods. A combination of these complexity measures with the parameters in the frequency domain seems to be a promising way to get a more precise definition of the individual risk. These findings have to be validated by a representative number of patients.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WesselKleinerVossetal.1997,
  author    = {Wessel, Niels and Kleiner, H. J. and Voss, Andreas and Kurths, J{\"u}rgen and Dietz, R.},
  title     = {Nonlinear dynamics in cardiovasscular diseases},
  year      = {1997},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Wessel1998,
  author    = {Wessel, Niels},
  title     = {Komplexe Analyse nichtlinearer Ph{\"a}nomene in kardiologischen Datenreihen},
  address   = {Potsdam},
  pages     = {123 Bl.},
  year      = {1998},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{WesselVossKurthsetal.2000,
  author    = {Wessel, Niels and Voss, Andreas and Kurths, J{\"u}rgen and Schirdewan, Alexander and Hnatkova, Katarina and Malik, Marek},
  title     = {Evaluation of renormalised entropy for risk stratification using heart rate variability data},
  year      = {2000},
  abstract  = {Standard time and frequency parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) describe only linear and periodic behaviour, whereas more complex relationships cannot be recognised. A method that may be capable of assessing more complex properties is the non-linear measure of 'renormalised entropy.' A new concept of the method, RE(AR), has been developed, based on a non-linear renormalisation of autoregressive spectral distributions. To test the hypothesis that renormalised entropy may improve the result of high-risk stratification after myocardial infarction, it is applied to a clinical pilot study (41 subjects) and to prospective data of the St George's Hospital post- infarction database (572 patients). The study shows that the new RE(AR) method is more reproducible and more stable in time than a previously introduced method (p<0.001). Moreover, the results of the study confirm the hypothesis that on average, the survivors have negative values of RE(AR) (-0.11+/-0.18), whereas the non-survivors have positive values (0.03+/-0.22, p<0.01). Further, the study shows that the combination of an HRV triangular index and RE(AR) leads to a better prediction of sudden arrhythmic death than standard measurements of HRV. In summary, the new RE(AR) method is an independent measure in HRV analysis that may be suitable for risk stratification in patients after myocardial infarction.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WesselZiehmannKurthsetal.2000,
  author    = {Wessel, Niels and Ziehmann, Christine and Kurths, J{\"u}rgen and Meyerfeldt, Udo and Schirdewan, Alexander and Voss, Andreas},
  title     = {Short-term forecasting of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias based on symbolic dynamics and finite-time growth rates},
  year      = {2000},
  abstract  = {Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (VT-VF) as fatal cardiac arrhythmias are the main factors triggering sudden cardiac death. The objective of this study is to find early signs of sustained VT-VF in patients with an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). These devices are able to safeguard patients by returning their hearts to a normal rhythm via strong defibrillatory shocks; additionally, they store the 1000 beat-to-beat intervals immediately before the onset of a life-threatening arrhythmia. We study these 1000 beat-to-beat intervals of 17 chronic heart failure ICD patients before the onset of a life-threatening arrhythmia and at a control time, i.e., without a VT-VF event. To characterize these rather short data sets, we calculate heart rate variability parameters from the time and frequency domain, from symbolic dynamics as well as the finite-time growth rates. We find that neither the time nor the frequency domain parameters show significant differences between the VT-VF and the control time series. However, two parameters from symbolic dynamics as well as the finite-time growth rates discriminate significantly both groups. These findings could be of importance in algorithms for next generation ICD's to improve the diagnostics and therapy of VT-VF.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WesselSchumannWesseletal.2000,
  author    = {Wessel, Niels and Schumann, Agnes and Wessel, Niels and Schumann, Agnes and Schirdewan, Alexander and Voss, Andreas and Kurths, J{\"u}rgen},
  title     = {Entropy measures in heart rate variability data},
  year      = {2000},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WesselVossMalbergetal.2000,
  author    = {Wessel, Niels and Voss, Andreas and Malberg, Hagen and Ziehmann, Christine and Voss, Henning U. and Schirdewan, Alexander and Meyerfeldt, Udo and Kurths, J{\"u}rgen},
  title     = {Nonlinear analysis of complex phenomena in cardiological data},
  year      = {2000},
  abstract  = {The main intention of this contribution is to discuss different nonlinear approaches to heart rate and blood pressure variability analysis for a better understanding of the cardiovascular regulation. We investigate measures of complexity which are based on symbolic dynamics, renormalised entropy and the finite time growth rates. The dual sequence method to estimate the baroreflex sensitivity and the maximal correlation method to estimate the nonlinear coupling between time series are employed for analysing bivariate data. The latter appears to be a suitable method to estimate the strength of the nonlinear coupling and the coupling direction. Heart rate and blood pressure data from clinical pilot studies and from very large clinical studies are analysed. We demonstrate that parameters from nonlinear dynamics are useful for risk stratification after myocardial infarction, for the prediction of life-threatening cardiac events even in short time series, and for modelling the relationship between heart rate and blood pressure regulation. These findings could be of importance for clinical diagnostics, in algorithms for risk stratification, and for therapeutic and preventive tools of next generation implantable cardioverter defibrillators.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WesselMarwanMeyerfeldtetal.2001,
  author    = {Wessel, Niels and Marwan, Norbert and Meyerfeldt, Udo and Schirdewan, Alexander and Kurths, J{\"u}rgen},
  title     = {Recurrence quantification analysis to characterise the heart rate variability before the onset of ventricular tachycardia},
  year      = {2001},
  abstract  = {Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (VT) as fatal cardiac arrhythmias are the main factors triggering sudden cardiac death. The objective of this recurrence quantification analysis approach is to find early signs of sustained VT in patients with an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). These devices are able to safeguard patients by returning their hearts to a normal rhythm via strong defibrillatory shocks; additionally, they are able to store at least 1000 beat-to-beat intervals immediately before the onset of a life-threatening arrhythmia. We study the},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WesselSchwarzSaparinetal.2002,
  author    = {Wessel, Niels and Schwarz, Udo and Saparin, Peter and Kurths, J{\"u}rgen},
  title     = {Symbolic dynamics for medical data analysis},
  isbn      = {3-936142-09-2},
  year      = {2002},
  abstract  = {Observational data of natural systems, as measured in medical measurements are typically quite different from those obtained in laboratories. Due to the peculiarities of these data, wellknown characteristics, such as power spectra or fractal dimension, often do not provide a suitable description. To study such data, we present here some measures of complexity, which are basing on symbolic dynamics. Firstly, a motivation for using symbolic dynamics and measures of complexity in data analysis based on the logistic map is given and next, two applications to medical data are shown. We demonstrate that symbolic dynamics is a useful tool for the risk assessment of patients after myocardial infarction as well as for the evaluation of th e architecture of human cancellous bone.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MalbergWesselHasartetal.2002,
  author    = {Malberg, Hagen and Wessel, Niels and Hasart, Annett and Osterziel, Karl Joseph and Voss, Andreas},
  title     = {Advanced analysis of the spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity, blood pressure and heart rate variability in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy},
  year      = {2002},
  abstract  = {Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is an important parameter in the classification of patients with reduced left ventricular function. This study aimed at investigating BRS in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and in healthy subjects (controls), as well as comparing the values of BRS parameters with parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV). ECG, continuous blood pressure and respiration curves were recorded for 30 min in 27 DCM patients and 27 control subjects. The Dual Sequence Method (DSM) includes the analysis of spontaneous fluctuations in systolic blood pressure and the corresponding beat-to-beat intervals of heart rate to estimate bradycardic, opposite tachycardic and delayed baroreflex fluctuations. The number of systolic blood pressure/beat-to- beat interval fluctuations in DCM patients was reduced in comparison with controls (DCM patients: male, 154.4+/-93.9 ms/ mmHg; female, 93.7+/-40.5 ms/mmHg; controls: male, 245.5+/-112.9 ms/mmHg; female, 150.6+/-55.8 ms/mmHg, P<0.05). The average slope in DCM patients was lower than in controls (DCM, 5.3+/-1.9 ms/mmHg; controls, 8.0+/-5.4 ms/mmHg; P<0.05). Discriminant function analysis showed that, in the synchronous range of the standard sequence method, the DCM and control groups could be discriminated to only 76\% accuracy, whereas the DSM gave an improved accuracy of 84\%. The combination of six parameters of HRV, BPV and DSM gives an accuracy of classification of 96\%, whereas six parameters of HRV and BPV could separate the two groups to only 88\% accuracy. Thus the DSM leads to an improved characterization of autonomous regulation in order to differentiate between DCM patients and healthy subjects. BRS in DCM patients is significantly reduced and apparently less effective.},
  language  = {en}
}