Abstract: Objective: To make risk stratification of aged patients with coronary artery disease by deceleration capacity of rate (DC) and heart rate deceleration runs (DRs) and to investigate the value of the two detection technologies in warning sudden cardiac death. Methods: Two hundrend and eighteen patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD) by coronary angiography (CAG) were selected as observa-tion group:including 55 patients with latent coronary artery disease (LCHD), 56 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 53 patients with angina pectoris (AP), 54 patients with ischemic heart failure. Fifty-five healthy controls in our hospital were selected at the same time (control group). All patients were detected by 24-hour dynamic electrocardiogram while values of DC and DRs were automatically analyzed and calculated by software. Results: The values of DC and DRs descended significantly in all CHD groups (AMI group, AP group, Ischemic Heart Failure group, LCHD group) and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01) compared with normal group; DC and DRs indicated the risk classification of each CAD subgroup was obviously higher than those in normal group and the difference was statistically significant(P < 0.01); CAG showed that the more coronary lesions, the larger the rage, prompt the heavier the illness, which was consistent with the risk classification of each CHD subgroup indicated by DC and DRs. Conclusion: DC and DRs can be used to analyze the function of vagus nerve, it also can be used to make risk classification of patients with CHD, and it has a higher value of pre-warning for high-risk groups. DC and DRs can be used as sensitive indexes in warning sudden cardiac death of patients with CHD.

Key words: coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, deceleration capacity of rate, heart rate deceleration runs, coronary angiography, sudden cardiac death warning