Figure 1

Comparison between an unstable and a stable subject at PEEP 10, through significant spectral (summarized in Table 2) and CDM (summarized in Table 3) parameters. At the top, solid lines represented the CDM instantaneous parameters (HF-RR phase and amplitude). At the bottom, each dot represented an averaged value over 16 seconds, from the spectral gain method. The CDM method revealed a greater variability in HF-RR phase and amplitude in the unstable group, with great phase drifts and time spent below the amplitude threshold (dashed line). The spectral gain method revealed a higher gain in the unstable group, due to a greater HF-RR spectral density (close to the HF-RR CDM amplitude). The grey bands represented Fast Fourier Transform epochs with no efficient gain, corresponding to losses of CDM HF-RR amplitude, explaining the great correlation between the two following parameters: the percentage of time (in seconds) spent under an amplitude threshold provided by the CDM and the percentage of time (in epochs of 16 seconds) spent with a coherence value below 0.5.