Equine Cardiology Flashcards
What heart sounds can be heard in a normal equine heart?
Two to four can be heart in a normal equine heart
What is a gallop rhyth?
Three seperate beats heard
Typically this is pathological but can be normal in the horse
What are the two most important tests for evaluating an equine heart?
Ascultation and ultrasound
Why is radiology unhelpful?
The normal equine heart is usually too big to get an accurate picture of
Smaller foals you may be able to get a good picture of
Why is ECG less useful in the horse than in other animals?
The purkinje fiber arrangement is not linear in the horse making vector analysis less accurate
How does the depolarization work in a horse?
Depolarize more in a wringing motion so the heart twists from the apex to the base as opposed to a linear motion
Which lead position is the most helpful in equine patients and why?
Lead 1 since you are able to maximize focus on the ventricular septum
Where are the leads placed typically in the horse?
Left arm at the thorax at the 5th ICS at the level of the elboy and right arm at the jugular furrow
T/F: ECG is an effective test to assess chamber enlargement.
False- horse hearts depolarize weirdly so vector analysis isn’t accurate
How do P-waves typically appear in a horse?
Biphasic
How do QRS complexes typically appear in a horse?
negative deflection due to intraventricular septum depolarization
How do T-waves typically appear in a horse?
Large and spiked due to repolarization of a lot of myocardium at once
What areas are you able to feel a jugular pulse in a normal horse?
No higher than the junction of the middle and distal third of the neck and with the the head in neutral carriage position
If you are able to feel pulses in places other than normal, what are they most likely due to?
Valvular insufficiency causing blood to regurgitate back into the cranial vena cava and jugular veins
What is the most common physiologic arrhythmia in the horse?
2nd degree Mobitz type 1 AV block
aka Wenkenbach
Why can horses have a normal Wenkenbach arrhythmia?
Persistent high vagal tone so any changes in it cause issues in communication between AV and SA node
How does 2nd degree Mobitz type 1 AV block appear on an ECG?
Progressive prolongation of the PR interval until there is a drop in regular beat pattern
Why do horses typically not present with sinus arrhythmias?
Because sinus arrhythmias are caused by decreased vagal tone and horses live at a really high vagal tone normally
What is the most common pathological arrhythmia in the horse?
Atrial fibrillation
Why is a-fib common in horses?
Due to increased cardiac size and high vagal tone
Why does a-fib occur?
The atria are not synchronized exactly and will not be at the same phase of polarization
Typically this isn’t an issue in a normal horse but can be detrimental to an athlete
What are the two kinds of a-fib that can manifest in the horse?
Paroxysmal and sustained
What is paroxysmal a-fib?
Single episode of a-fib causing poor performance during periods of high heart rate
Very easy to miss
What is sustained a-fib?
Go into a-fib and stay in it
Much easier to diagnose and not necessarily associated with high heart rate
T/F: Most a-fib cases are associated with underlying cardiac pathology.
False- usually have nothing else wrong
T/F: Presence of a systemic abnormality predisposes animals to a-fib.
True- especially electrolyte abnormalities
What are the clinical signs of a-fib?
Exercise intolerance and poor performance
What are some systemic underlying causes of a-fib?
- EIPH
- Myopathies
- Colic
- Collapse
- CHF
What will a-fib sound like on auscultation?
Irregularly irregular
Tennis shoes in a dryer
What will pulses feel like with a-fib?
Variable strength with longer or shorter period due to erratic ventricular contraction and polarization
What do you look for on standard work ups to help diagnose any underlying causes of a-fib?
UA- fractional excretion
Blood- cardiac troponin-1 to assess for cardiac disease
What test is done to confirm a-fib?
ECG
What should be done to assess functionality of the heart in horses with a-fib?
Echocardiography to assess fractional shortening and diameter of chambers
What does treatment of a-fib depend on?
Heart rate and ultrasound foundings
What is the best case senario for treatment of a-fib?
Resolution spontaneously when not exercising
How do you treat an animal with a-fib with normal PE, HR
Quinidine PO
Can get complications if given IV
How do you treat an animal with a-fib with normal PE, HR>60bpm, and normal echo?
Digoxin first then quinidine
Digoxin first so that you bring the HR down to 60 then give quinidine
Why do you want to give digoxin prior to quinidine in higher HR with a-fib patients?
Quinidine is arrhythmogenic especially at higher heart rates
What qualifies as a complicated case of a-fib in a horse?
A-fib with underlying cardiac disease
Abnormal PE and abnormal echo
What is used to treat complicated cases of a-fib?
Digoxin and quinidine
What are the issues with quinidine in complicated a-fib cases?
Pro: maximizes cardiact output
Con: reduced efficacy due to underlying disease
T/F: Treatment often is not effective in complicated cases of a-fib.
True- not much you can do
What are some alternative therapies for treating a-fib?
Electrocardioversion or transvenous electrocardioversion- has to be under GA
No difference in long therm prognosis with electrical or chemical cardioversion
What is the most common issue with using digoxin and quinidine in the same animal?
Both highly protein bound so there is displacement when administering them at the same time which can lead to toxic levels free in circulation