Telling irregularities: New procedure uses heart rate to estimate the life expectancy of infarct patients

The heart rate may be an indicator of a person's life expectancy. A research team has to this end analyzed an effect which at first seems paradoxical: Minor irregularities in the heartbeat are indicative of a healthy body. A clinical study confirmed a strong correlation between this phenomenon and the survival prospects of heart attack patients. The new methods of measurement may soon be applied in medical practice.