Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Echocardiogram signs that predict survival in dogs with mitral valve
By Baron Toaldo, Marco et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prognostic value of echocardiographic indices of left atrial morphology and function in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 115 dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) were studied to understand how certain heart measurements could predict their risk of cardiac-related death. The researchers found that specific echocardiographic measurements, particularly the maximum volume of the left atrium (LAVmax) and the speed of blood flow through the mitral valve, were strong indicators of how long the dogs might live. Dogs with a larger left atrium and faster mitral valve flow had a higher risk of heart-related issues. This information can help veterinarians assess the severity of heart disease in dogs with MMVD and guide treatment decisions.
People also search for: dog heart disease prognosis · myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs · left atrium size in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The prognostic relevance of left atrial (LA) morphological and functional variables, including those derived from speckle tracking echocardiography (STE), has been little investigated in veterinary medicine. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prognostic value of several echocardiographic variables, with a focus on LA morphological and functional variables in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). ANIMALS: One-hundred and fifteen dogs of different breeds with MMVD. METHODS: Prospective cohort study. Conventional morphologic and echo-Doppler variables, LA areas and volumes, and STE-based LA strain analysis were performed in all dogs. A survival analysis was performed to test for the best echocardiographic predictors of cardiac-related death. RESULTS: Most of the tested variables, including all LA STE-derived variables were univariate predictors of cardiac death in Cox proportional hazard analysis. Because of strong correlation between many variables, only left atrium to aorta ratio (LA/Ao > 1.7), mitral valve E wave velocity (MV E vel > 1.3 m/s), LA maximal volume (LAVmax > 3.53 mL/kg), peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS < 30%), and contraction strain index (CSI per 1% increase) were entered in the univariate analysis, and all were predictors of cardiac death. However, only the MV E vel (hazard ratio [HR], 4.45; confidence interval [CI], 1.76-11.24; P < .001) and LAVmax (HR, 2.32; CI, 1.10-4.89; P = .024) remained statistically significant in the multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The assessment of LA dimension and function provides useful prognostic information in dogs with MMVD. Considering all the LA variables, LAVmax appears the strongest predictor of cardiac death, being superior to LA/Ao and STE-derived variables.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29572938/