Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using vertebral heart scale to find heart causes of breathing trouble
By Sleeper, Meg M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2013·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of the vertebral heart scale for differentiation of cardiac and noncardiac causes of respiratory distress in cats: 67 cases (2002-2003).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 67 cats was brought to the emergency vet for sudden breathing problems. The veterinarians used a method called the vertebral heart scale (VHS) to help figure out if the cats had heart disease or if their breathing issues were caused by something else. They found that a VHS score over 8.0 suggested heart problems, while a score over 9.3 was very specific for heart disease. This method can be helpful in emergency situations when more advanced tests like an echocardiogram aren't possible right away.
People also search for: cat breathing problems · cat heart disease symptoms · emergency vet cat respiratory distress
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of the vertebral heart scale (VHS) system to differentiate congestive heart failure from other causes of dyspnea in cats. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 67 cats with acute respiratory distress. PROCEDURES: Medical records of client-owned cats evaluated on an emergency basis because of acute respiratory distress during a 1-year period were reviewed. For study inclusion, cats must have undergone evaluation with echocardiography and thoracic radiography within 12 hours after hospital admission. The VHS was calculated for each cat by 2 investigators. Signalment, physical examination, and echocardiographic findings were reviewed for each patient. RESULTS: There was 83% agreement overall between the 2 investigators in assessment of cardiomegaly in cats with dyspnea (κ = 0.49). The VHS cutpoints were the same for both observers in terms of optimizing sensitivity and specificity. A VHS of > 8.0 vertebrae was the best cutpoint when screening for heart disease, whereas a VHS of > 9.3 vertebrae was very specific for the presence of heart disease. Measurements between 8.0 and 9.3 vertebrae suggested the cause of dyspnea was equivocal (ie, secondary to congestive heart failure or respiratory disease), in which case echocardiography would be most useful in providing additional diagnostic information. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that the VHS system may be a useful tool to help differentiate cardiac from noncardiac causes of respiratory distress in cats in an emergency situation when an echocardiogram is not available or is not plausible in an unstable patient.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23327180/