The effect on heart rate of stimulation of sympathetic and vagus efferent nerves to the heart has been described in a qualitative fashion by many investiga tors. However, except for the work of Rosenblueth and Simeone1 in 1934, no attempt has been made to analyze in a quantitative way the dynamic relation ship between heart rate and frequency of stimulation of these nerves. The present study was undertaken with the hope that such an analysis might yield useful information regarding a) the nature of the physical and chemical events involved in this transformation and b) the dynamic and steady-state parameters of this link of the heart rate control system.

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Development of a comprehensive computer system for acquiring medical data and implementing medical decision logic has been ongoing for over 15 years at the University of Utah and the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. This system is known as HELP and is currently operational at LDS Hospital, which is a 550-bed tertiary care hospital serving the needs of the intermountain west. This hospital also serves as one of the primary teaching centers for the University of Utah Medical School. Having been developed in this environment, the design of the HELP system was required to meet the administrative, clinical, teaching, and research needs of hospitals, as well as provide the decision-making capability.