Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
ECG changes linked to mitral valve leak severity in Cavalier King
By Spiljak Pakkanen, M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2012·Institute of Physiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Advanced electrocardiographic parameters change with severity of mitral regurgitation in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in sinus rhythm.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 76 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels were studied to understand how advanced heart monitoring techniques could help detect the severity of mitral regurgitation (a heart valve problem) before any obvious symptoms appeared. Researchers found that certain heart rate and electrical activity measurements changed significantly with the severity of the condition. While these advanced techniques showed promise in predicting heart issues, the findings suggest they may not yet be practical for everyday use in veterinary clinics.
People also search for: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel heart problems · mitral regurgitation symptoms in dogs · heart monitoring for dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Multiple advanced resting ECG (A-ECG) techniques have improved the diagnostic or prognostic value of ECG in detecting human cardiac diseases even before onset of clinical signs or changes in conventional ECG. OBJECTIVE: To determine which A-ECG parameters, derived from 12-lead A-ECG recordings, change with severity of mitral regurgitation (MR) caused by myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCSs) in sinus rhythm. ANIMALS: Seventy-six privately owned CKCSs. METHODS: Dogs were prospectively divided into 5 groups according to the degree of MR (estimated by color Doppler mapping as the percentage of the left atrial area affected by the MR jet) and presence of clinical signs. High fidelity approximately 5-minute 12-lead ECG recordings were evaluated using custom software to calculate multiple conventional and A-ECG parameters. RESULTS: Nineteen of 76 ECG parameters were significantly different (P < .05) across the 5 dog groups. A 4-parameter model that incorporated results from 1 parameter of heart rate variability, 2 parameters of QT variability, and 1 parameter of QRS amplitude was identified that explained 82.4% of the variance with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.60 (P < .01). When age or murmur grade was included in the statistical model the prediction value further increased the R to 0.74 and 0.85 (P < .01), respectively. CONCLUSION: In CKCSs with sinus rhythm, 4 selected A-ECG parameters further improve prediction of MR jet severity beyond age and murmur grade, although the predictive increment in this study probably is not sufficient to warrant utilization in clinical veterinary practice.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22168834/