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British Journal of Anaesthesia, Vol 82, Issue 6 932-934, Copyright © 1999 by The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia

SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

Return of autonomic nervous activity after delivery: role of aortocaval compression

G. Y. Chen, C. D. Kuo, M. J. Yang, H. M. Lo and Y. S. Tsai
Department of Medicine, Provincial Tao-Yuan General Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, Republic of China; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Cardiopulmonary Laboratory, Respiratory Therapy Department and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chung-Yuan Christian University, Chung-Li, Taiwan, Republic of China

We have compared measures of heart rate variability (HRV) in 15 women in late pregnancy before and 3 months after delivery and in 20 non- pregnant controls, to study the effect of aortocaval compression on autonomic nervous activity. Normalized high-frequency power was used as an index of vagal activity and the low-/high-frequency power ratio as index of sympathovagal balance. We found that the decrease in vagal activity and increase in sympathovagal balance before delivery returned to normal 3 months after delivery. Percentage changes in vagal activity and sympathovagal balance 3 months after delivery in the left lateral decubitus position were least among three recumbent positions. The relief of aortocaval compression as a result of delivery of the fetus may be the main cause of return of autonomic nervous activity 3 months after delivery. Postpartum hormonal changes may also contribute to return of autonomic nervous activity after delivery.
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