Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparing in-clinic ECG and 24-hour Holter for dog atrial
By Gelzer, A R et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2015·Department of Cardiology, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of in-hospital electrocardiography versus 24-hour Holter for rate control in dogs with atrial fibrillation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old mixed-breed dog was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that can cause an irregular heartbeat. When the dog was brought to the vet, they used an in-clinic ECG (a test that measures heart activity) to check the heart rate. However, this test often gave a higher heart rate than what was recorded at home with a 24-hour Holter monitor. The vet found that if the in-clinic heart rate was over 155 beats per minute, it could indicate a "fast" type of atrial fibrillation, which might require medication to help control the heart rhythm.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine if the in-clinic ECG-derived heart rate could predict the at-home Holter-derived 24-hour average heart rate (Holter24h ), and whether it is useful to identify slow versus fast atrial fibrillation in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 82 pairs of 1-minute ECGs and 24-hour Holter recordings were acquired in 34 dogs with atrial fibrillation. The initial 24-hour Holter was used to test if the ECG heart rate can identify dogs with "slow" versus "fast" atrial fibrillation based on a Holter24h threshold value of 140 bpm. RESULTS: ECG heart rate overestimated Holter24h by 26 bpm (95% CI: 3 bpm, 48 bpm; P < 0 · 015) with a 95% limit of agreement of -21 to 83 bpm. The in-clinic ECG-derived heart rate Ä155 bpm had a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 100% for identifying a Holter24h HR Ä140 bpm; an in-clinic ECG-derived HR <160 bpm had a sensitivity and specificity of 91% each. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In-clinic ECG assessment of heart rate in dogs with atrial fibrillation does not reliably predict the heart rate in their home environment. However, an in-clinic heart rate greater than 155 bpm is useful in identifying "fast" atrial fibrillation, allowing clinicians to stratify which case may benefit from antiarrhythmic therapy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25908447/