Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart rate changes in a dog with breathing blockage from a throat
By Little, C J & Julu, P O·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·1995·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Investigation of heart rate variability in a dog with upper respiratory tract obstruction.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An eight-year-old bull mastiff was brought to the vet because he was having trouble breathing due to a tumor near his larynx. Unfortunately, despite attempts to remove the tumor, the dog passed away during the procedure. During the investigation, doctors used a new method to measure the dog's heart rate and found that his heart was responding abnormally to his breathing difficulties. This case highlights the potential for using non-invasive heart rate measurements to better understand heart and respiratory issues in pets.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · bull mastiff heart rate issues · dog tumor treatment options
Abstract
An eight-year-old bull mastiff presented with respiratory obstruction caused by a tumour dorsolateral to the larynx. Removal of the tumour was attempted but the dog died. A novel noninvasive measurement of heart rate variability and cardiac parasympathetic activity, recorded real-time from an electrocardiograph signal, was used to investigate cardiac rhythm in the dog. A simultaneous record of heart rate and cardiac parasympathetic activity showed severe sinus arrhythmia caused by the parasympathetic tone, in which the inspiratory heart rate exceeded 140 beats per minute (bpm) and the expiratory heart rate fell to below 60 bpm. The extent of respiratory modulation of the cardiac parasympathetic activity (vagal tone) has not been reported before using this technique on-line in a conscious, freely-behaving and spontaneously breathing animal. Non-invasive measurements of cardiac parasympathetic tone show great potential for the assessment of animals with systemic and cardiac disease including cardiac failure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8587326/