Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Investigation of ventricular pre-excitation electrocardiographic pattern in two horses: clinical presentation and potential causes.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Viu, Judit et al.
- Affiliation:
- Hospital Clí · Spain
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Two horses were taken to a veterinary hospital in Barcelona for different health issues and were found to have an unusual heart pattern called ventricular pre-excitation during their stay. Both horses had low levels of magnesium in their blood, which is important for heart function, but no other significant electrolyte problems were noted. An ultrasound of their hearts showed abnormal movement in a part of the heart related to the pre-excitation pattern. In one horse, a specific area in the heart was identified as the likely cause of this issue. After giving both horses magnesium supplements, their heart patterns improved, suggesting that the low magnesium levels made their hearts more sensitive to this condition.
Abstract
Two horses referred to the Unitat Equina, Fundació Hospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, for unrelated clinical problems, and with no previous history of cardiac disease exhibited an intermittent ventricular pre-excitation electrocardiographic pattern during hospitalization. Both animals showed decreased plasma total and ionized magnesium concentrations, but no other relevant electrolyte disturbances were detected. Altered interventricular septal motion associated with ventricular pre-excitation beats (VPBs) was detected on M-mode echocardiography in both horses. The likely localization of an accessory pathway (AP) was identified in case 2 using pulsed-wave tissue Doppler imaging in the left anterior paraseptal location. Decreased frequency of the VPB was observed with long-term magnesium supplementation and restoration of plasma magnesium concentrations. The presence of ventricular pre-excitation electrocardiographic pattern was attributed to higher sensitivity of the AP to hypomagnesemia in both cases.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29573995/