Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the immediate post-exercise period: correlation with breathing-specific heart rate

Although the absolute values of pulmonary ventilation and cardiac output are similar, the designs of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems imply major differences in flow patterns, airflow being intermittent by comparison to the quasi-continuous pulmonary blood flow. We hypothesized that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA, difference in heart rate (fH) between inspiration and expiration, as percent of mean fH) ameliorates the inevitable...