Does heart rate variability change in angina pectoris patients treated with spinal cord stimulation?

To determine whether spinal cord stimulation has any effect on the autonomic nervous tone of the heart, heart rate variability was used as an indicator of autonomic nervous control of the heart. The components time domain and power spectral analyses of heart rate variability were measured in 21 patients with angina pectoris. Twenty-four-hour Holter recordings were obtained before and after 12 months with spinal cord stimulation. No significant attenuation of time domain or spectral components of heart rate variability analyses were found. Apparently, spinal cord stimulation does not influence the autonomic tone of the heart.