A Novel Estimation of Baroreflex Sensitivity by Using Variational Mode Decomposition and Cross-Wavelet Analysis

An accurate estimation of baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) supports the diagnosis of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. BRS is typically evaluated by analyzing the linear correlation between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate variability (HRV). In this work, we proposed a novel BRS estimation method that combines variational mode decomposition (VMD) and cross-wavelet transform (XWT) for improvement in BRS assessment. VMD effectively mitigates mode mixing by decomposing signals into intrinsic mode functions, thereby enhancing the accuracy of cardiac and vascular rhythm interplay analysis. XWT offers a time-frequency representation for coherence evaluation, providing a more precise criterion for BRS estimation. The proposed method was then validated by using the EUROBAVAR dataset. Results demonstrate a significantly smaller baroreflex sensitivity during standing position than in supine position in EUROBAVAR subjects. In addition, patients with baroreflex impairment exhibited significantly lower BRS indices than healthy subjects, indicating their weaker ability in regulating blood pressure. The proposed method holds promise in baroreflex impairment diagnosis and dynamic BRS estimation, supporting evaluation of related diseases.