Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Myocardial injury in dogs - causes, tests, treatment, and outcomes
By Romito, G et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2024·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Myocardial injury in dogs: a retrospective analysis on etiological, echocardiographic, electrocardiographic, therapeutic, and outcome findings in 102 cases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 102 dogs diagnosed with myocardial injury (MI), which is damage to the heart muscle, showed various heart-related symptoms and abnormalities. Most of these dogs had issues detected through heart imaging and electrical activity tests, with many having conditions like dilated cardiomyopathy. Infections were the most common suspected cause of MI in these dogs. Despite the seriousness of the condition, the average survival time was about 603 days, with only a small number of dogs dying directly from MI. Treatment options were not specified, but many dogs were able to live longer with proper care.
People also search for: dog heart problems symptoms · myocardial injury in dogs · dilated cardiomyopathy treatment · dog heart disease survival rate
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In dogs, myocardial injury (MI) is a poorly characterized clinical entity; therefore, this study aimed to provide a detailed description of dogs affected by this condition. ANIMALS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: Dogs diagnosed with MI according to the concentration of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were retrospectively searched. Signalment, diagnostic, therapeutic, and outcome data were retrieved. Dogs were divided into six echocardiographic (dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype with systolic dysfunction; abnormal echogenicity only; endocarditis; and no echocardiographic abnormalities suggestive of MI), four electrocardiographic (abnormalities of impulse formation; abnormalities of impulse conduction; abnormalities of ventricular repolarization; and no electrocardiographic abnormalities suggestive of MI), and nine etiological (infective; inflammatory; neoplastic; metabolic; toxic; nutritional; immune-mediated; traumatic/mechanical; and unknown) categories. Statistical analysis was performed to compare cTnI values among different categories and analyze survival. RESULTS: One hundred two dogs were included. The median cTnI value was 3.71 ng/mL (0.2-180 ng/mL). Echocardiographic and electrocardiographic abnormalities were documented in 86 of 102 and 89 of 102 dogs, respectively. Among echocardiographic and electrocardiographic categories, the dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype (n = 52) and abnormalities of impulse formation (n = 67) were overrepresented, respectively. Among dogs in which a suspected etiological trigger was identified (68/102), the infective category was overrepresented (n = 20). Among dogs belonging to different echocardiographic, electrocardiographic, and etiological categories, cTnI did not differ significantly. The median survival time was 603 days; only eight of 102 dogs died due to MI. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs with MI often have an identifiable suspected trigger, show various echocardiographic and electrocardiographic abnormalities, and frequently survive to MI-related complications.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38640640/