Symbolic dynamics approach in the analysis of heart rate in premature babies at high risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

The aim of this study is to evaluate how far the nonlinear symbolic dynamics approach helps to characterize the nonlinear properties of heart rate regulation in high risk infants. The symbolic dynamics calculations were performed on sleep stage classified heart rate (IHR) data. Differences were found in histogram properties of symbol sequences between the risk and the control groups. The results of the analysis suggest that the nonlinear symbolic dynamics approach is helpful in risk stratification of newborns.