Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low blood volume causing mitral valve motion in two dogs
By Hammes, K et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2016·Vetsuisse Faculty·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypovolemia induced systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve in two dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male Labrador and a 7-year-old female Beagle were both brought in for rapid heart rates and unusual heart sounds. The veterinarians discovered that both dogs were experiencing a condition called systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve, which was caused by low blood volume (hypovolemia). After addressing the underlying issue of low blood volume, both dogs showed improvement in their heart function and symptoms. This case highlights the importance of thorough examinations to understand heart issues in dogs.
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Abstract
Systolic anterior (septal) motion of the mitral valve (SAM) is a common secondary phenomenon in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in people and cats. In humans, it is increasingly recognized that SAM may be found in other cardiac and non-cardiac disease states. In small animal cardiology, SAM unassociated with HCM has been described in dogs with mitral valve dysplasia and right ventricular pressure overload. In this report, we describe two cases of dogs where transient SAM was caused by hypovolemia. When SAM was present both dogs showed pseudohypertrophy and tachycardia. Important factors in the genesis of SAM in this scenario are probably hypovolemia induced changes in left ventricular geometry affecting the orientation of the mitral valve apparatus combined with elevated catecholamine levels. SAM associated with increased wall thickness is not pathognomonic of HCM; this observation is of particular clinical importance when extrapolated to species where HCM is highly prevalent, e.g., cats. An echocardiographic diagnosis should always be evaluated together with full clinical assessment of history and physical examination.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27639515/