Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How anesthesia affects heart valve narrowing tests in dogs
By Evan S. Ross et al.·Published in Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine·2025·Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA, GB·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Echocardiographic Evaluation of Indices of Severity of Pulmonary Stenosis in Dogs: Reproducibility and Effects of General Anesthesia
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 39 dogs with pulmonary stenosis (a heart condition that narrows the outflow from the heart) underwent echocardiograms to assess the severity of their condition before and after general anesthesia. The results showed that certain measurements of heart function decreased significantly after anesthesia, which could lead to misleading assessments of the severity of the condition. However, other measurements remained stable. This suggests that veterinarians should consider using a combination of tests to accurately evaluate the severity of pulmonary stenosis in dogs.
People also search for: dog heart problems · pulmonary stenosis in dogs · effects of anesthesia on dog heart function
Abstract
ABSTRACT Background The effects of general anesthesia (GA) on less flow‐dependent (velocity ratio, velocity time integral [VTI] ratio and indexed pulmonary valve area [iPVA]) and flow‐dependent (mean [PVmeanPG] and maximum pressure gradient [PVmaxPG]) indices of severity of pulmonary stenosis (PS) are unclear. Objectives Determine the effects of GA on indices of severity of PS in dogs undergoing an interventional procedure (IP). Determine the reproducibility of indices of severity of PS. Animals Thirty‐nine dogs with PS. Methods Prospective cross‐sectional study. Five repeated echocardiograms were performed over 3 days. Day 1: two echocardiograms were performed by 2 different operators. Day 2: echocardiograms were performed before and after GA but before IP. Day 3: an echocardiogram was performed after the IP. Results After GA, median (IQR) cardiac index (2.1 [1.6–2.6] L/min/m2), PVmeanPG (45.0 [26.0–55.2] mmHg), PVmaxPG (76.6 [46.6–100.3] mmHg) were decreased (p ≤0.001) compared to before GA (2.8 [2.2–3.0] L/min/m2, 55.9 [47.6–73.1] mmHg, 96.1 [81.6–127.0] mmHg, respectively). There were no differences (p ≥0.35) in velocity ratio, VTI ratio, or iPVA after GA. Intra‐operator and inter‐operator coefficients of variation (95% CI) were highest for iPVA (13.8% [10.4–18.4] and 13.5% [11.0–18.4], respectively) and lowest for velocity ratio (9.2% [7.7–12.3] and 9.3% [7.7–12.4], respectively). Conclusions and Clinical Importance PVmeanPG and PVmaxPG might be misleading in states of reduced flow. An integrative assessment of severity of PS that includes less flow‐dependent indices is recommended. Reproducibility of indices of severity of PS should be considered when re‐evaluating dogs with PS.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.70003