Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
QRS duration over 60 ms linked to shorter survival in dogs with heart
By Pedro, Brigite M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2011·Av. Fortunato Meneres 31·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of QRS duration and survival in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy: a retrospective study of 266 clinical cases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious heart condition, had different survival times based on a specific heart measurement called QRS duration. Dogs with a QRS duration of 60 milliseconds or more had a median survival time of only 13 weeks, while those with a shorter duration lived about 25 weeks on average. This suggests that measuring the QRS duration can help veterinarians predict how long a dog with DCM might live. If your dog has been diagnosed with DCM, discussing heart monitoring and management options with your vet could be beneficial.
People also search for: dog heart disease prognosis · dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs · QRS duration in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of QRS duration in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by studying its relationship with survival time. METHODS: The medical records of dogs diagnosed with DCM were retrospectively searched for good quality ECG tracings. The QRS duration was measured from the ECG tracing and two different models were used: binary variable (dogs were divided into 2 groups based on a QRS duration of <60 ms or ≥60 ms) and continuous variable. The survival times were analysed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazard model. RESULTS: 266 dogs met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A QRS duration ≥60 ms was associated with a reduced survival time compared to those with a QRS duration <60 ms (Hazard Ratio of 1.34, 95% CI 1.05-1.71, P = 0.02). When considered as a continuous variable the Hazard Ratio was 1.015 for each increase in QRS duration of 1 ms (95% CI 1.006-1.024, p = 0.001).Dogs with a QRS duration < 60 ms had a median survival time (IQ range) of 25 weeks (97-65) and dogs with a QRS duration ≥60 ms had a median survival time (IQ range) of 13 weeks (3-34). CONCLUSION: The measurement of QRS duration is relatively simple to perform from a surface ECG recording. A duration ≥60 ms is associated with shorter survival times in dogs with DCM, which may provide practitioners with additional prognostic information.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22051528/