Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Right atrial size in dogs with pulmonary hypertension measured
By Vezzosi, T et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Department of Veterinary Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Echocardiographic Evaluation of the Right Atrial Area Index in Dogs with Pulmonary Hypertension.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 119 dogs, including 48 with pulmonary hypertension (PAH), to see how the size of the right atrium (a part of the heart) related to the severity of their condition and any heart failure symptoms. It was found that dogs with moderate to severe PAH had larger right atrial areas compared to those with mild PAH or healthy dogs. The research showed that a specific measurement of the right atrial area could help identify dogs at risk for right-sided congestive heart failure, which is a serious condition. This information can help veterinarians better assess and treat dogs with heart issues.
People also search for: dog pulmonary hypertension symptoms · dog heart failure treatment · how to help a dog with heart problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Right atrial area (RAA) is a prognostic factor in human patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Reference intervals for RAA have been described in healthy dogs. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate RAA indexed to the body surface area in dogs with PAH as an indicator of right atrial size, PAH severity and right-sided congestive heart failure (R-CHF). ANIMALS: A total of 119 client-owned dogs, 48 dogs with PAH and 71 control dogs. METHODS: Prospective observational study. Pulmonary arterial hypertension was classified according to the tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient (TRPG) as mild (36-50 mmHg), moderate (51-75 mmHg), or severe (>75 mmHg). The RAA index was calculated as the RAA divided by body surface area. RESULTS: The RAA index was higher in dogs with moderate PAH (13.3 cm/m; range, 3.4-24.7 cm/m) and severe PAH (12.1 cm/m; range, 5.4-21.8 cm/m) than in those with mild PAH (6.7 cm/m; range, 4.8-10.7 cm/m) or in controls (7.3 cm/m; range, 4.2-10.2 cm/m; P < 0.001). The RAA index was higher (P < 0.0001) in dogs with R-CHF (17.5 cm/m; range, 12.7-24.7 cm/m) compared to those without R-CHF (7.6 cm/m; range, 4.4-19.4 cm/m). The most accurate cutoff value of the RAA index to identify R-CHF was >12.3 cm/m(sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 89.5%). In dogs with PAH, severity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) was the only independent predictor of RAA index based on multivariate analysis (P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The RAA index can be used to evaluate right atrial size in dogs and may be more effective than TRPG in predicting R-CHF in dogs with PAH. The severity of TR is the main determinant of the RAA index in dogs with PAH.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29377361/