J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio)
December 2024
Background: There is little information on the prevalence of auscultatory abnormalities in anemic cats. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of cardiac murmurs and gallop sounds in a population of anemic and nonanemic cats presenting to an emergency room (ER) and to assess whether the prevalence of auscultatory abnormalities was influenced by the severity of anemia.
Key Findings: Records of cats presenting to an ER between May 2021 and May 2022 or receiving a blood transfusion between September 2019 and January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed for presence of a murmur or gallop sound.
Recently, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Sphynx cats has been associated with a variant in the gene encoding Alström syndrome protein 1 (ALMS1). The primary aims of this study were to describe the prevalence of HCM in Sphynx cats in New Zealand, and to assess the association between HCM and the ALMS1 variant in this population. In this prospective study, 55 apparently healthy Sphynx cats from registered Sphynx breeders and pet owners in New Zealand were screened by a cardiologist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The proportion of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) that lose systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM) in the long term is unknown.
Hypothesis/objectives: Cats with HCM will lose SAM in the long term. Loss of SAM will be associated with greater age, longer scan-interval, and altered left ventricular (LV) dimensions.
Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) could improve accuracy and reproducibility of echocardiographic measurements in dogs.
Hypothesis: A neural network can be trained to measure echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) linear dimensions in dogs.
Animals: Training dataset: 1398 frames from 461 canine echocardiograms from a single specialist center.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects both humans and cats and exhibits considerable interspecies similarities that are exemplified by underlying pathological processes and clinical presentation to the extent that developments in the human field may have direct relevance to the feline disease. Characteristic changes on histological examination include cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and interstitial and replacement fibrosis. Clinically, HCM is characterised by significant diastolic dysfunction due to a reduction in ventricular compliance and relaxation associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and the development of ventricular hypertrophy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Echocardiographic reference intervals have not been reported for North American whippets, or for whippets that have undergone pet-level athletic training.
Objectives: To develop normal echocardiographic reference intervals for North American whippets and investigate differences in echocardiographic parameters based on athletic conditioning in pet whippets engaged in competitive sports.
Animals: One-hundred healthy North American whippets.
Background: The natural history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats has been mainly studied in cats referred for suspected heart disease, which can skew the results towards cats with clinical signs. Few data are available on factors associated with development of HCM in cats.
Hypotheses: (1) Clinical variables can predict which cats will develop HCM; (2) HCM in cats not referred for suspected heart disease is associated with a low rate of cardiovascular events.
Background: There is a lack of clinical data on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in dogs.
Hypothesis/objectives: To investigate signalment, clinical signs, diagnostic findings, and survival in dogs with HCM.
Animals: Sixty-eight client-owned dogs.
J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio)
January 2022
Objective: To describe arrhythmias associated with administration of lidocaine in dogs treated for supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.
Case Summaries: Four dogs with recent-onset supraventricular tachyarrhythmias: 3 dogs had atrial fibrillation (AF), and 1 had focal atrial tachycardia (FAT), which was thought to be AF at the time of assessment. The substrate of the supraventricular tachyarrhythmia was considered to be due to primary cardiomyopathy in 1 dog, high vagal tone in 2 dogs, and the change in hemodynamics from heavy sedation in 1 dog.
• Large interatrial communications in dogs are rare. • When indicated, surgical closure of an interatrial communication is possible. • When indicated, surgical repair of the atrioventricular valve is possible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAortic thromboembolism (ATE) occurs in cats with cardiomyopathy and often results in euthanasia due to poor prognosis. However, the underlying predisposing mechanisms leading to left atrial (LA) thrombus formation are not fully characterised. von Willebrand Factor (vWF) is a marker of endothelium and shows increased expression following endothelial injury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cardiac auscultation is an important part of the physical examination. This study evaluated cardiac auscultation skills in veterinary students and compared their abilities to recent veterinary graduates, referral hospital veterinary surgeons and veterinary cardiologists or cardiology residents. In addition it compared their self-predicted quiz scores to their actual scores, evaluating if they could accurately predict their own performance level.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF• IVSH may occur in dogs following surgical MVR. • The cause of IVSH in dogs undergoing MVR remains unknown. • Mortality attributable to IVSH in these four dogs was 50%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The benefits of pimobendan in the treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF) in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have not been evaluated prospectively.
Hypothesis/objectives: To investigate the effects of pimobendan in cats with HCM and recent CHF and to identify possible endpoints for a pivotal study. We hypothesized that pimobendan would be well-tolerated and associated with improved outcome.
Background: Whether anemic cats and dogs with increased left heart dimensions are at higher risk of transfusion-associated circulatory overload, and the effect of blood transfusion on left heart dimensions in naturally occurring anemia is unknown.
Hypothesis/objectives: To evaluate the effect of blood transfusion on left heart dimensions in clinically relevant anemia.
Animals: Twenty dogs and 20 cats presenting to a university veterinary teaching hospital.
Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a high-resolution imaging modality that provides accurate tissue characterization. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) occurs as a spontaneous disease in cats, and is characterized by myocardial hypertrophy, disarray and fibrosis, as in humans. While hypertrophy/mass (LVM) can be objectively measured, fibrosis and myocyte disarray are difficult to assess.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) are biomarkers commonly evaluated in cats with suspected heart disease. Many cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM), but its influence on circulating NT-proBNP or cTnI concentrations is currently unknown.
Hypothesis/objectives: Cats with HCM and SAM (HCM ) have higher NT-proBNP and cTnI concentrations than do cats with HCM but without SAM (HCM ).
Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of myocardial disorders of mostly unknown etiology, and they occur commonly in cats. In some cats, they are well-tolerated and are associated with normal life expectancy, but in other cats they can result in congestive heart failure, arterial thromboembolism or sudden death. Cardiomyopathy classification in cats can be challenging, and in this consensus statement we outline a classification system based on cardiac structure and function (phenotype).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine optimal sample preparation conditions with potassium triiodide (IKI) and optimal imaging settings for microfocus CT (micro-CT) of excised cat hearts.
Sample: 7 excised hearts (weight range, 10 to 17.6 g) obtained from healthy adult cats after euthanasia by IV injection of pentobarbital sodium.
Background: Cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have decreased left ventricular (LV) longitudinal deformation detected by mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and speckle tracking echocardiography. People with preclinical HCM have decreased systolic LV longitudinal and radial strain (S) and strain rate (SR), with preserved circumferential S and SR.
Hypothesis/objectives: Cats with preclinical HCM have decreased systolic LV deformation compared to normal cats.
This report, issued by the ACVIM Specialty of Cardiology consensus panel, revises guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD, also known as endocardiosis and degenerative or chronic valvular heart disease) in dogs, originally published in 2009. Updates were made to diagnostic, as well as medical, surgical, and dietary treatment recommendations. The strength of these recommendations was based on both the quantity and quality of available evidence supporting diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a myocardial disease with an increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias. The condition, which occurs in Boxer dogs, shares phenotypic features with the human disease arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) suggesting its potential as a natural animal model. However, there are currently no universally accepted clinical criteria to diagnose ARVC in Boxer dogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has a variable prognosis; left atrial size, presence of clinical signs and left ventricular systolic function have been shown to predict outcomes. Mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) assess longitudinal ventricular systolic function and are decreased in cats with HCM. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether MAPSE and TAPSE have prognostic value in HCM and if cats with pleural effusion have lower MAPSE and TAPSE than cats with pulmonary oedema.
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