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Objective: This study investigated the performance among four cardiac output (CO) monitoring techniques in comparison with the reference method intermittent pulmonary artery thermodilution (iPATD) and their ability to diagnose fluid responsiveness (FR) during a modified passive leg raise (PLR M ) maneuver in isoflurane-anesthetized dogs undergoing acute blood volume manipulations. The study also examined the simultaneous effect of performing the PLR M on dynamic variables such as stroke distance variation (SDV), peak velocity variation (PVV), and stroke volume variation (SVV)., Study Design: Prospective, nonrandomized, crossover design., Study Animals: Six healthy male Beagle dogs., Methods: The dogs were anesthetized with propofol and isoflurane and mechanically ventilated under neuromuscular blockade. After instrumentation, they underwent a series of sequential, nonrandomized steps: Step 1: baseline data collection; Step 2: removal of 33 mL kg -1 of circulating blood volume; Step 3: blood re-transfusion; and Step 4: infusion of 20 mL kg -1 colloid solution. Following a 10-min stabilization period after each step, CO measurements were recorded using esophageal Doppler (ED CO ), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE CO ), arterial pressure waveform analysis (APWA CO ), and electrical cardiometry (EC CO ). Additionally, SDV, PVV, and SVV were recorded. Intermittent pulmonary artery thermodilution (iPATD CO ) measurements were also recorded before, during, and after the PLR M maneuver. A successful FR diagnosis made using a specific test indicated that CO increased by more than 15% during the PLR M maneuver. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance for repeated measures with post hoc Tukey test, linear regression, Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (ρc), and Bland-Altman analysis. Statistical significance was set at p  < 0.05., Results: All techniques detected a reduction in CO ( p  < 0.001) during hemorrhage and an increase in CO after blood re-transfusion and colloid infusion ( p  < 0.001) compared with baseline. During hemorrhage, CO increases with the PLR M maneuver were as follows: 33% for iPATD ( p  < 0.001), 19% for EC ( p  = 0.03), 7% for APWA ( p  = 0.97), 39% for TEE ( p  < 0.001), and 17% for ED ( p  = 0.02). Concurrently, decreases in SVV, SDV, and PVV values ( p  < 0.001) were also observed. The percentage error for TEE, ED, and EC was less than 30% but exceeded 55% for APWA. While TEE CO and EC CO slightly underestimated iPATD CO values, ED CO and APWA CO significantly overestimated iPATD CO values. TEE and EC exhibited good and acceptable agreement with iPATD. However, CO measurements using all four techniques and iPATD did not differ before, during, and after PLR M at baseline, blood re-transfusion, and colloid infusion., Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: iPATD, EC, TEE, and ED effectively assessed FR in hypovolemic dogs during the PLR M maneuver, while the performance of APWA was unacceptable and not recommended. SVV, SDV, and PVV could be used to monitor CO changes during PLR M and acute blood volume manipulations, suggesting their potential clinical utility., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Paranjape, Henao-Guerrero, Menciotti and Saksena.)

Numerous cardiac output (CO) technologies were developed to replace the 'gold standard' pulmonary artery thermodilution due to its invasiveness and the risks associated with it. Minimally invasive lithium dilution (LiD) shows excellent agreement with thermodilution and can be used as a reference standard in animals. This study evaluated CO via noninvasive electrical cardiometry (EC) and acquired hemodynamic variables against CO measured using LiD in six healthy, anesthetized dogs administered different treatments (dobutamine, esmolol, phenylephrine, and high-dose isoflurane) impacting CO values. These treatments were chosen to cause drastic variations in CO, so that fair comparisons between EC and LiD across a wide range of CO values (low, intermediate, and high) could be made. Statistical analysis included linear regression, Bland-Altman plots, Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (ρ c ), and polar plots. Values of p < 0.05 represented significance. Good agreement was observed between EC and LiD, but consistent underestimation was noted when the CO values were high. The good trending ability, ρ c of 0.88, and low percentage error of ±31% signified EC's favorable performance. Other EC-acquired variables successfully tracked changes in CO measured using LiD. EC may be a pivotal hemodynamic tool for continuously monitoring circulatory changes, as well as guiding and treating cardiovascular anesthetic complications in clinical settings.

Objective: To compare cardiac output (CO) measurements by transesophageal echocardiography (TEECO) and esophageal Doppler monitor (EDMCO) with pulmonary artery thermodilution (PATDCO) in anesthetized dogs subjected to pharmacological interventions. The effect of treatments on EDM-derived indexes was also investigated., Animals: 6 healthy male dogs (10.8 ± 0.7 kg)., Methods: Dogs were anesthetized with propofol and isoflurane, mechanically ventilated, and monitored with invasive mean arterial pressure (MAP), end-tidal isoflurane concentration (ETISO), PATDCO, TEECO, EDMCO, and EDM-derived indexes. Four treatments were administered to all dogs by randomization. Baseline data were collected before each treatment: (1) dobutamine infusion; (2) esmolol infusion; (3) phenylephrine infusion; and (4) ETISO > 3%. Data were collected after 10-minute stabilization and after 30 minutes of washout between treatments. Statistical tests were pairwise t test, Bland-Altman analysis, Lin's concordance correlation (ρc), and polar plot analysis with P < .05 set as significance., Results: The mean ± SD relative bias (limits of agreement) for TEECO was 0.35 ± 25.2% (-49.1% to 49.8%) and for EDMCO was -27.2 ± 22.5% (-71.4% to 17%) versus PATDCO. The percent error for TEECO and EDMCO was 27.6% and 44.1%, respectively. The ρc value was 0.82 for TEECO and 0.66 for EDMCO. TEECO and EDMCO showed good trending ability. EDM-derived indexes displayed significant changes specific to the drug administered (P < .001)., Clinical Relevance: For minimally invasive CO monitoring, TEE may provide more favorable performance than EDM in clinical settings; however, EDM-derived indexes yield valuable hemodynamic information that reliably follows trends in CO, thus supporting critical decision-making in canine patients.

Objective: To demonstrate if modified passive leg raise (PLR M ) maneuver can be used for volumetric evaluation of fluid responsiveness (FR) by inducing cardiac output (CO) changes during experimental induction and correction of hypovolemia in healthy anesthetized dogs. The effects of PLR M on plethysmographic variability index (PVI) and pulse pressure variation (PPV) were also investigated., Study Design: Prospective, crossover study., Animals: A total of six healthy anesthetized Beagle dogs., Methods: Dogs were anesthetized with propofol and isoflurane. They were mechanically ventilated under neuromuscular blockade, and normothermia was maintained. After instrumentation, all dogs were subjected to four stages: 1, baseline; 2, removal of 27 mL kg -1 circulating blood volume; 3, after blood re-transfusion; and 4, after 20 mL kg -1 hetastarch infusion over 20 minutes. A 10 minute stabilization period was allowed after induction of each stage and before data collection. At each stage, CO via pulmonary artery thermodilution, PVI, PPV and cardiopulmonary variables were measured before, during and after the PLR M maneuver. Stages were sequential, not randomized. Statistical analysis included repeated measures anova and Tukey's post hoc test, considering p < 0.05 as significant., Results: During stage 2, PLR M at a 30° angle significantly increased CO (mean ± standard deviation, 1.0 ± 0.1 to 1.3 ± 0.1 L minute -1 ; p < 0.001), with a simultaneous significant reduction in PVI (38 ± 4% to 21 ± 4%; p < 0.001) and PPV (27 ± 2% to 18 ± 2%; p < 0.001). The PLR M did not affect CO, PPV and PVI during stages 1, 3 and 4., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: In anesthetized dogs, PLR M at a 30° angle successfully detected FR during hypovolemia, and identified fluid nonresponsiveness during normovolemia and hypervolemia. Also, in hypovolemic dogs, significant decreases in PVI and PPV occurred in response to PLR M maneuver., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In animals, invasive pulmonary artery thermodilution (PATD) is a gold standard for cardiac output (CO) monitoring, but it is impractical in clinical settings. This study evaluates the agreement between PATD and noninvasive electrical cardiometry (EC) for measuring CO and analyzes the other EC-derived hemodynamic variables in six healthy anesthetized dogs subjected to four different hemodynamic events in a sequential order: (1) euvolemia (baseline); (2) hemorrhage (33% blood volume loss); (3) autologous blood transfusion; and (4) 20 mL/kg colloid bolus. The CO measurements obtained using PATD and EC are compared using Bland-Altman analysis, Lin's concordance correlation (LCC), and polar plot analysis. Values of p < 0.05 are considered significant. The EC measurements consistently underpredict the CO values as compared with PATD, and the LCC is 0.65. The EC's performance is better during hemorrhage, thus indicating its capability in detecting absolute hypovolemia in clinical settings. Even though the percentage error exhibited by EC is 49.4%, which is higher than the standard (<30%), EC displays a good trending ability. Additionally, the EC-derived variables display a significant correlation with the CO measured using PATD. Noninvasive EC may have a potential in monitoring trends in hemodynamics in clinical settings.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between invasively measured stroke volume (SV) and (1) esophageal Doppler-derived indices such as stroke distance (StrokeD), flow time corrected (FTc), stroke distance variation (SDV), and peak velocity variation (PVV); and (2) arterial load (AL) variables during evaluation of fluid responsiveness (FR) in anesthetized dogs undergoing sudden hemodynamic shifts in blood volume., Animals: 6 healthy male dogs., Procedures: Dogs were anesthetized with isoflurane, ventilated mechanically, and instrumented to undergo sequential, nonrandomized experimental stages. The dogs transitioned from normovolemia (NORMO-BL) to hypovolemia (30% blood loss; HYPO-30), followed by autologous blood transfusion, and then to hypervolemia (colloid bolus). During each stage, SV was quantified using pulmonary artery thermodilution and its relationship with StrokeD, FTc, SDV, and PVV; and AL variables such as effective arterial elastance (Ea), dynamic arterial elastance (Eadyn), and total arterial compliance (Ca) were established., Results: As SV decreased significantly during HYPO-30 compared to NORMO-BL, there was a significant (P < .001) decrease in StrokeD, FTc, and Ca, with simultaneous increases in SDV, PVV, Ea, and Eadyn. Upon restoration of blood volume, these values stabilized closer to NORMO-BL. A significant (P < .001) correlation was observed between SV and StrokeD, FTc, Ea, Eadyn, and Ca., Clinical Relevance: Minimally invasive StrokeD, FTc, SDV, and PVV act as SV surrogates and help assess FR during different blood volume stages in healthy dogs. During hypovolemia-induced hypotension, Ea, Eadyn, and Ca may be able to guide therapeutic decisions favoring improvement in blood pressure and SV.

Borzoi are large, relatively uncommon sighthounds anecdotally reported to suffer from sudden death. This multicenter retrospective cohort study aimed to describe the sample of Borzoi presenting to veterinary cardiologists for evaluation, with records searched from 14 centers across a study period of up to 20 years. The study sample was comprised of 152 client-owned Borzoi, with dogs most commonly presenting for pre-breed screening in 87/152 (52%), followed by evaluation of an arrhythmia in 28/152 (18%). Of the 131/152 (86%) dogs that had an echocardiogram performed, 85/131 (65%) were structurally normal, with 40/85 (47%) structurally normal dogs having trace or mild atrioventricular valve regurgitation. Tricuspid valve dysplasia was the most commonly diagnosed congenital cardiac disease ( n = 6). Myxomatous mitral valve disease ( n = 12) and dilated cardiomyopathy ( n = 13) were diagnosed at similar frequencies, though 92% of valve disease cases were mild. Only 48/152 (32%) Borzoi had a diagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG) and/or a Holter monitor for arrhythmia screening. Despite this, ventricular arrhythmias were identified during the entirety of the available cardiac evaluation including diagnostic ECG, contemporaneous ECG monitoring during the echocardiogram, and/or Holter monitor in 25/131 (19%) dogs in which an echocardiographic diagnosis was available. Of these 25 Borzoi, 76% had minimal or no structural cardiac disease identified, and five had a family history of sudden death. A sudden death outcome was reported in 3/55 (5%) Borzoi with long-term outcome data available. In conclusion, Borzoi commonly have trace or mild atrioventricular valve insufficiencies, and may develop ventricular arrhythmias and dilated cardiomyopathy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Sykes, Wesselowski, Saunders, Tjostheim, Potter, Gelzer, Katz, Ward, Karlin, Markovic, Magee, Abbott, Kadotani and Menciotti.)

Assessment of left atrial (LA) sizes in dogs informs clinical staging, risk assessment, treatment decisions, and prognosis. The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of observers with different levels of experience measuring the LA with three different techniques. Echocardiographic images from 36 dogs with different degrees of left atrial enlargement (LAE) were retrospectively retrieved, anonymized and measured in a blinded fashion by a veterinary student, a first-year cardiology resident, a third-year cardiology resident, and two board-certified veterinary cardiologists. The LA to aortic root ratio (LA:Ao), LA antero-postero diameter indexed to body weight (LAiAPD) and left atrial area were measured. Inter- and intra-observer intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for all three variables. Bland-Altman plots and accuracy in identification of LAE were calculated for the three least experienced observers using LA:Ao and LAiAPD. Intra- and interobserver ICCs were greater than 0.9 for every variable. The observer with least experience had significant positive bias and a tendency to overestimate larger measurements using LA:Ao, but not using LAiAPD. The accuracy of identification of LAE also increased with the increasing level of experience and was higher for LAiAPD compared to LA:Ao. Combining both methods for identification of LAE, further increased accuracy.

Background: Hyperthyroid cats might have a predisposition to arterial thrombus formation. The mechanism for thrombogenesis currently is unknown but could be associated with systemic hypercoagulability as seen in hyperthyroid humans., Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate markers of hemostasis in hyperthyroid cats compared to healthy cats, and in hyperthyroid cats before and after radioactive iodine treatment (RIT)., Animals: Twenty-five cats with hyperthyroidism and 13 healthy euthyroid cats >8 years of age., Methods: Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen concentration, antithrombin (AT), D-dimers, thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT), von Willebrand Factor antigen (vWF : Ag), and activity of factors VIII and IX were measured. An echocardiogram was performed in all cats. Hemostatic markers and echocardiogram were evaluated again 6 to 9 months after successful RIT in 7 cats., Results: Hyperthyroid cats had higher fibrinogen concentration (P < .0001), AT activity (P < .0001), and vWF : Ag concentration (P = .01) than healthy control cats with all results decreasing significantly post-RIT. Hyperthyroid cats were not more likely to be in a hypercoaguable state than euthyroid cats (P = .08). Serum T4 concentration was not a predictor of a hypercoagulable state (P = .53)., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Hyperthyroid cats have evidence of altered hemostasis that does not appear to be solely attributable to cardiac abnormalities, but no evidence of a hypercoagulable state. Findings suggest altered hemostasis resolves after RIT. Hyperthyroid cats could have endothelial dysfunction as indicated by increased vWF : Ag which could potentiate thrombogenesis., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

Background: Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is more prevalent in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCSs) compared to dogs of other breeds at a given age. Abnormal valvular stress is thought to contribute to the development and progression of MMVD, and a relationship exists between mitral valve (MV) morphology and stress acting on the valve., Objectives: To determine whether the MV morphology of healthy adult CKCSs differs from the morphology of healthy adult dogs of other breeds determined by RT-3DTTE., Animals: Thirty-five healthy CKCSs and 41 healthy dogs of other breeds., Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study. Dogs underwent physical examination, conventional echocardiography, and RT-3DTTE. RT-3DTTE datasets were analyzed using dedicated software for MV morphologic analysis. Morphologic variables were compared between CKCSs and dogs of other breeds., Results: The MV of healthy CKCSs had a smaller annulus height (0.46 ± 0.11 vs. 0.56 ± 0.17; P = .0021), tenting height (0.26 ± 0.12 vs. 0.42 ± 0.18; P < .001), tenting area (0.42 ± 0.15 vs. 0.79 ± 0.34; P < .001), normalized tenting volume (0.09 [0.05-0.13] vs. 0.14 [0.10-0.20]; P < .001), and normalized area of the posterior leaflet (0.57 ± 0.15 vs. 0.66 ± 0.18; P = .016) compared to healthy dogs of other breeds; this results in CKCSs having a flatter MV with reduced tenting, compared to the MV of other breeds., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: These morphologic features could confer a mechanical disadvantage and play a role in the predisposition of CKCSs to the early development of MMVD., (© 2018 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

The most common heart disease that affects dogs is myxomatous mitral valve disease. In this article, we review the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to this disease, and we also present some of the latest technological advancements in this field., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

A retrospective search was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the vertebral heart score (VHS) and other related radiographic indices in the detection of cardiac enlargement associated with different cardiac disorders in the cat. One hundred and five cats with a complete echocardiographic examination and radiographic examination of the thorax with at least two orthogonal views were enrolled. Eighty-three cats had different cardiac disorders, 72 with left-sided cardiac disorders (LSCD) and 11 with right-sided cardiac disorders; 22 cats were free of cardiovascular abnormalities. Measurements of VHS and cardiac long and short axes on lateral (L) and dorsoventral or ventrodorsal radiographs were obtained. Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of each radiographic index in differentiating between cats with cardiac disorders or cats with LSCD and cats without cardiac abnormalities and, among cats with LSCD, between those with no or mild left atrial enlargement (LAE) or those with moderate-to-severe LAE and healthy cats. The L-VHS at the cut-off of 7.9 had high diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing cats with LSCD and moderate-to-severe LAE from healthy cats, but all the other radiographic indices were moderately accurate in distinguishing between cats with overall cardiac disorders or LSCD, either with no or mild LAE and moderate-to-severe LAE, and healthy cats. The considered radiographic indices were also moderately accurate in predicting different degrees of LAE in cats with LSCD. Radiographic indices are reasonably specific, but less sensitive predictors of cardiac enlargement in cats with heart disorders., (© ISFM and AAFP 2014.)