Abstract: The invention analyzes relationships between factors, within a patient population, to identify autonomic dysfunction patterns. Patient test results are then compared with the identified patterns to determine the patient's autonomic function. The invention can continually amend the patient population with new test results to create increasingly accurate normative data sets from which a patient's autonomic function can be more accurately assessed. The invention may apply this concept in an application service provider model. An embodiment of the invention may use a novel method of identifying certain components on physiological signals such as the R-wave for an ECG. The method locates R-waves by searching for maximum slope values and cycle lengths that satisfy certain threshold values. Another embodiment of the invention entails a non-provocative HRV test whereby certain time domain and frequency domain factors are analyzed to determine a patient's autonomic function.

Abstract: A biofeedback training method and apparatus to increase and reinforce the respiratory sinus arrhythmia as an outcome of a breath training technique, said apparatus comprising a physiological monitoring device that provides raw physiological data to a computer having a software program that receives and utilizes the heartbeat interbeat interval information supplied by the physiological sensors, calculates such intervals after every heartbeat, computes RSA parameters from the interbeat intervals, displays raw signal instantaneous heart rate values, calculates RSA parameters in the form of graphs, compares current values of the RSA training score with currently set threshold level to generate training feedback, provides continuous audiovisual feedback to the user to reward training attempts based on results of threshold comparisons, displays a breath pacer to induce an appropriate breathing pattern, recommended by selected breathing technique, saves interbeat intervals along with the RSA parameters into a built-