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IJCA-12356; No of Pages 2
International Journal of Cardiology xxx (2009) xxx–xxx

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International Journal of Cardiology

j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / i j c a r d

Letter to the Editor

The biotic pattern of heartbeat intervals

H. Sabelli a,⁎, J. Messer b, L. Kovacevic a, K. Walthall b
a
Chicago Center for Creative Development, 2400 N. Lakeview, Chicago, Illinois 60614, United States
b
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The observed pattern of variation in heart rate indicates biotic patterns that change in time as portrayed by
Received 25 September 2009 the variable morphology of recurrence plots (temporal complexity) as well as by diversification and novelty.
Accepted 17 October 2009 © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Available online xxxx

Keywords:
Bios
Creativity
Cardiac failure

Heart rate variation (HRV) has become an important measure in
the field of cardiology [1] but there still is limited understanding of
how variation occurs and the reasons why low HRV has a negative
prognostic value [2]. Empirical analysis demonstrates chaotic features
[3,4] but rules out low-dimensional chaos and suggests stochastic
processes [5].
A number of new techniques [6–8] detect features of creative pro-
cesses in time series: (1) temporal complexity, multiple, time-limited
patterns (complexes) in recurrence plots, (2) diversification, the in-
crease in S.D. with increasingly larger samples (global diversification)
or increasing embedding (local diversification); and (3) novelty, an
increase in recurrence isometry by shuffling the data. The program
used for these computations is available [9]. Temporal complexity,
diversification, low isometry, and novelty are defining characteristics
of Bios, a non-stationary, chaotic, and fractal pattern which is more
sensitive to initial conditions than chaotic attractors. Bios differs from
random walk in being generated causally, as demonstrated by tem-
poral pattern in the series of differences between consecutive terms.
Diversification, novelty, and temporal complexity are absent in series
converging to an attractor.
First identified in RR interval (RRI) series [10,11], Bios has been
shown to be widespread in physical and human processes at all levels
of organization: prime numbers [12], quantum wave functions [13,
14]; temporal distribution of galaxies and of quasars [13,14]; gravi-
tational waves [14,15], geographical structures [8], meteorological
processes [8,14], animal populations [16], and economic processes [8].
We examined the long-term electrocardiographic recordings of
RRI series of 54 subjects in normal sinus rhythm and 730 patients with
⁎ Corresponding author: Tel.: +1 773 348 5679.
E-mail address: Hector_Sabelli@rush.edu (H. Sabelli).
cardiac failure of both sexes between 28 and 75 years old, obtained
from the Physiobank database at (www.physionet.org/physiobank/
database), and compared the results with those obtained with models
for the variations in heart rate: spare random numbers, random walks
(generated by the successive addition of random numbers), chaos
generated by the logistic equation A(t + 1) = g ⁎ A(t) ⁎ [1 − A(t)], and
Bios generated by the process equation A(t + 1) = A(t) + g ⁎ sin(A(t)
[17].
The pattern of RRI series closely approximates that of Bios in both
healthy and cardiac failure patients. Recurrence plots reveal complex
patterns that continuously vary in time [Fig. 1], closely resembling
Bios generated through the process equation; chaotic and random
series generate uniform plots. RRI series also show diversification, low
recurrence isometry, and increase recurrence with shuffling the data,
i.e. novelty.
The series of differences between consecutive RRI shows high
recurrence and a decrease in their numbers with shuffling, as in
chaotic attractors, while differencing random walks generates ran-
dom series. In short, HRV shows causation and the three distinctive
features of creativity (diversification, novelty, and complexes varying
in time), rather than maintenance of pattern.
Heart failure significantly decreased isometry while conserving
novelty, and slowed down diversification [Fig. 1]. These measure-
ments may be useful for diagnosis as well as for the evaluation of
therapeutic interventions.
The significance of this study, however, does not reside in adding
new methods for HRV analysis, but in highlighting the process that
produces variation as being non-stationary, creative (not equilibrium
or chaos), and causal (not stochastically generated by the coexistence
of multiple factors). These results are thus significant regarding health.
While Claude Bernard and Cannon stressed the importance of
equilibrium, the studies of Goldberger and others highlighted the

0167-5273/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2009.10.040

Please cite this article as: Sabelli H, et al, The biotic pattern of heartbeat intervals, Int J Cardiol (2009), doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2009.10.040
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
2 H. Sabelli et al. / International Journal of Cardiology xxx (2009) xxx–xxx
Fig. 1. Top: Recurrence plots (50 embeddings, 10% cutoff radius, 100,000 comparisons). Top left: RRI from healthy subject. Top right: Series of differences. Bottom: Average and S.D. of
net isometry (data minus shuffled copy) and of S.D. at 1, 2,… 30 embeddings.
role of change and non-stationarity as essential to health. Bios fits this
concept.
Acknowledgements
We are thankful to the Society for the Advancement of Clinical
Philosophy and to Mrs. Maria McCormick for her support. The authors
certify that they comply with the Principles of Ethical Publishing in
the International Journal of Cardiology [18].
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