A survey of the use of ultrasound by small animal veterinary clinicians.

This study aimed to determine the current use of ultrasound amongst small animal veterinarians. A total of 1216 small animal veterinary practitioners responded to an electronic survey that was administered through the Veterinary Information Network to all its members. Descriptive statistics were generated; limited inferential statistics were performed to examine specific relationships.

Evaluation of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Components and Enzymes in Systemically Hypertensive Cats Receiving Amlodipine.

Background: Chronic renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation is harmful. Amlodipine activates RAAS in humans and dogs, but contradictory data exist for systemically hypertensive (SHT) cats.

Hypothesis: Cats with SHT and chronic kidney disease treated with amlodipine (SHT/CKD-A) are RAAS activated.

Pharmacokinetics of pimobendan after oral administration to dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Background: Pimobendan is an important therapy for dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). The pharmacokinetics are reported in healthy dogs but not in dogs with heart disease.

Hypothesis/objectives: To determine if dog characteristics such as age, breed, body condition score, ACVIM stage of heart disease or biochemical laboratory value alter the pharmacokinetics of orally administered pimobendan and its metabolite in a cohort of dogs with naturally occurring MMVD.

Delayed-release rapamycin halts progression of left ventricular hypertrophy in subclinical feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: results of the RAPACAT trial.

Objective: Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) remains a disease with little therapeutic advancement. Rapamycin modulates the mTOR pathway, preventing and reversing cardiac hypertrophy in rodent disease models. Its use in human renal allograft patients is associated with reduced cardiac wall thickness.

The Role of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Managing Cardiac Emergencies.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a useful imaging tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac emergencies. Unlike complete echocardiography, POCUS is a time-sensitive examination involving a subset of targeted thoracic ultrasound views to identify abnormalities of the heart, lungs, pleural space, and caudal vena cava. When integrated with other clinical information, POCUS can be helpful in the diagnosis of left-sided and right-sided congestive heart failure, pericardial effusion and tamponade, and severe pulmonary hypertension and can help clinicians monitor resolution or recurrence of these conditions.

Bilateral lysis of aortic saddle thrombus with early tissue plasminogen activator (BLASTT): a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study in feline acute aortic thromboembolism.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) on the treatment of feline aortic thromboembolism (FATE).

Methods: Cats diagnosed with FATE involving ⩾2 limbs were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study within 6 h of an event. Diagnosis was made by clinical findings and one confirmatory criterion.

Myxomatous mitral valve disease in Miniature Schnauzers and Yorkshire Terriers: 134 cases (2007-2016).

Objective: To characterize features of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in Miniature Schnauzers and Yorkshire Terriers.

Animals: 69 Miniature Schnauzers and 65 Yorkshire Terriers, each with MMVD.

Procedures: Medical record data for each dog were collected; the study period was January 2007 through December 2016.

Focused Canine Cardiac Ultrasound.

Focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) is a useful point-of-care imaging tool to assess cardiovascular status in symptomatic dogs in the acute care setting. Unlike complete echocardiography, FCU is a time-sensitive examination involving a subset of targeted ultrasound views to identify severe cardiac abnormalities and is performed as part of an integrated thoracic ultrasound including interrogation of the pleural space and lungs. When integrated with other clinical information, FCU can be helpful in the diagnosis of left-sided and right-sided congestive heart failure, pericardial effusion and tamponade, and severe pulmonary hypertension, and can provide estimates of fluid responsiveness in hypotensive dogs.

Comparison of curvilinear-array (microconvex) and phased-array transducers for ultrasonography of the lungs in dogs.

Objectives: To compare the use of curvilinear-array (microconvex) and phased-array transducers for ultrasonographic examination of the lungs in dogs.

Animals: 13 client-owned dogs with left-sided congestive heart failure.

Procedures: In a prospective methods comparison study, 24 ultrasonographic examinations of the lungs (4 sites/hemithorax) were performed with both curvilinear-array and phased-array transducers at 3 clinical time points.

Use of whole genome analysis to identify shared genomic variants across breeds in canine mitral valve disease.

Familial mitral valve prolapse in human beings has been associated with several genetic variants; however, in most cases, a known variant has not been identified. Dogs also have a naturally occurring form of familial mitral valve disease (MMVD) with similarities to the human disease. A shared genetic background and clinical phenotype of this disease in some dog breeds has indicated that the disease may share a common genetic cause.

Focused ultrasound of the caudal vena cava in dogs with cavitary effusions or congestive heart failure: A prospective, observational study.

Introduction: Ultrasonographic indices of the inferior vena cava are useful for predicting right heart filling pressures in people.

Objectives: To determine whether ultrasonographic indices of caudal vena cava (CVC) differ between dogs with right-sided CHF (R-CHF), left-sided CHF (L-CHF), and noncardiac causes of cavitary effusion (NC).

Materials And Methods: 113 dogs diagnosed with R-CHF (n = 51), L-CHF (30), or NC effusion (32) were enrolled.

A deleterious mutation in the ALMS1 gene in a naturally occurring model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the Sphynx cat.

Background: Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a common inherited cardiovascular disorder in people. Many causal mutations have been identified, but about 40% of cases do not have a known causative mutation. Mutations in the ALMS1 gene are associated with the development of Alstrom syndrome, a multisystem familial disease that can include cardiomyopathy (dilated, restrictive).

Utility of point-of-care lung ultrasound for monitoring cardiogenic pulmonary edema in dogs.

Background: Point-of-care lung ultrasound (LUS) is an effective tool to diagnose left-sided congestive heart failure (L-CHF) in dogs via detection of ultrasound artifacts (B-lines) caused by increased lung water.

Hypothesis/objectives: To determine whether LUS can be used to monitor resolution of cardiogenic pulmonary edema in dogs, and to compare LUS to other indicators of L-CHF control.

Animals: Twenty-five client-owned dogs hospitalized for treatment of first-onset L-CHF.

Retrospective evaluation of the safety and tolerability of pimobendan in cats with obstructive vs nonobstructive cardiomyopathy.

Background: Pimobendan is frequently used off-label for treatments of cats with congestive heart failure (CHF). Concern exists regarding the safety of pimobendan in cats with outflow tract obstruction (OTO).

Objectives: In cats treated with pimobendan, incidence of adverse effects will not differ between cats with OTO vs cats with nonobstructive cardiomyopathy.

Renin-angiotensin aldosterone profile before and after angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitor administration in dogs with angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism.

Background: An angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism occurs in dogs; however, functional importance is not well studied.

Hypothesis: We hypothesized that dogs with the polymorphism would show alternative renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) pathway activation and classical RAAS pathway suppression before and after ACE-inhibitor administration, as compared to dogs without the polymorphism that would show this pattern only after ACE-inhibitor administration.

Animals: Twenty-one dogs with mitral valve disease that were genotyped for the ACE gene polymorphism.

Lung ultrasonography findings in dogs with various underlying causes of cough.

Objective: To characterize lung ultrasonography (LUS) findings in dogs with a primary clinical complaint of cough.

Animals: 100 client-owned coughing dogs.

Procedures: A standardized LUS examination was performed for all dogs to quantify the number of B lines and identify subpleural abnormalities at 4 sites on each hemithorax.

Echocardiographic phenotype of canine dilated cardiomyopathy differs based on diet type.

Introduction: Canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) can result from numerous etiologies including genetic mutations, infections, toxins, and nutritional imbalances. This study sought to characterize differences in echocardiographic findings between dogs with DCM fed grain-free (GF) diets and grain-based (GB) diets.

Animals: Forty-eight dogs with DCM and known diet history.

A missense variant in the titin gene in Doberman pinscher dogs with familial dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden cardiac death.

The dog provides a large animal model of familial dilated cardiomyopathy for the study of important aspects of this common familial cardiovascular disease. We have previously demonstrated a form of canine dilated cardiomyopathy in the Doberman pinscher breed that is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait and is associated with a splice site variant in the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) gene, however, genetic heterogeneity exists in this species as well and not all affected dogs have the PDK4 variant. Whole genome sequencing of a family of Doberman pinchers with dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden cardiac death without the PDK4 variant was performed.

Evaluation of point-of-care thoracic ultrasound and NT-proBNP for the diagnosis of congestive heart failure in cats with respiratory distress.

Background: The diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) in cats is challenging. Point-of-care (POC) thoracic ultrasound and NT-proBNP testing are emerging tools that may aid in diagnosis.

Hypothesis/objectives: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of POC lung ultrasound (LUS), focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU), and NT-proBNP in predicting a final diagnosis of CHF.

Distribution of alveolar-interstitial syndrome in dogs and cats with respiratory distress as assessed by lung ultrasound versus thoracic radiographs.

Objective: To assess distribution of alveolar-interstitial syndrome (AIS) detected by lung ultrasound (LUS) compared to thoracic radiographs (TXR).

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: University teaching hospital.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels with an ACE gene polymorphism and myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Objectives: Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common heart disease in the dog. It is particularly common in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) breed and affected dogs are frequently managed with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I). We have previously identified a canine ACE gene polymorphism associated with a decrease in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme activity and inhibition in dogs with cardiac disease and an angiotensin-converting enzyme polymorphism.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in dogs and with and without an ACE polymorphism in the canine ACE gene, before and after treatment with an ACE inhibitor.

Methods: Thirty-one dogs (20 wild-type, 11 ACE polymorphism) with heart disease were evaluated with ACE activity measurement and systolic blood pressure before and after administration of an ACE inhibitor (enalapril).

Results: Median pre-treatment ACE activity was significantly lower for ACE polymorphism dogs than for dogs with the wild-type sequence ( P=0.

Intracoronary allogeneic cardiosphere-derived stem cells are safe for use in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) have been shown to reduce scar size and increase viable myocardium in human patients with mild/moderate myocardial infarction. Studies in rodent models suggest that CDC therapy may confer therapeutic benefits in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of allogeneic CDC in a large animal (canine) model of spontaneous DCM.

Accuracy of point-of-care lung ultrasonography for the diagnosis of cardiogenic pulmonary edema in dogs and cats with acute dyspnea.

OBJECTIVE To determine the accuracy of a point-of-care lung ultrasonography (LUS) protocol designed to diagnose cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE) in dyspneic dogs and cats. DESIGN Diagnostic test evaluation. ANIMALS 76 dogs and 24 cats evaluated for dyspnea.