Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Electrocardiogram changes in dogs and cats with heart valve issues
By Kornreich, B G & Moïse, N S·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·1997·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Right atrioventricular valve malformation in dogs and cats: an electrocardiographic survey with emphasis on splintered QRS complexes.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs and cats with a heart defect called right atrioventricular valve malformation (RAVM) was studied to see how often they showed unusual heart rhythms on EKGs. The research found that Labrador Retrievers were particularly affected, with nearly half showing abnormal heart patterns. Other breeds and cats also had these findings, but Labradors were overrepresented among the cases. While the heart defect is serious, the study highlighted that splintered QRS complexes (a specific EKG finding) are common in pets with RAVM. If your pet is diagnosed with this condition, your vet may monitor their heart closely for any changes.
People also search for: dog heart problems · Labrador Retriever heart defect · cat heart disease symptoms · splintered QRS complexes in pets · EKG abnormalities in dogs
Abstract
The purposes of this study were 2-fold: (1) to determine the prevalence of splintered QRS complexes (Rr', RR', rR', rr') and other electrocardiographic abnormalities in dogs and cats with congenital right atrioventricular valve malformation (RAVM) and (2) to determine if the Labrador Retriever was at greater risk for RAVM and splintered QRS complexes. EKGs from 39 dogs and 6 cats with echocardiographically diagnosed RAVM were studied retrospectively. Splintered QRS complexes were commonly found in affected Labrador Retrievers (9 of 19, 47%), non-Labrador Retrievers (12 of 20, 60%), and cats (4 of 6, 67%). Right ventricular enlargement was most commonly detected by precordial leads (CV6LL[V2], CV6LU[V4]) in the dogs and by the standard limb leads in the cats. Arrhythmias were uncommon. The Labrador Retriever was significantly overrepresented (P < .001) In the RAVM group when compared to the general hospital population (50% versus 8%). Males were also significantly overrepresented (P < .01). It was concluded that splintered QRS complexes are a distinctive and common electrocardiographic finding in dogs and cats with RAVM. Moreover, this congenital cardiac defect is most common in the Labrador Retriever, although this breed does not have proportionately more or less splintering of the QRS complexes than other breeds.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9298477/