RESUMEN
Records of previous electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic examinations of 39 Irish wolfhounds with cardiac failure, obtained during a 10-year survey, were examined to establish whether previously detected abnormalities might be prognostic indicators for the development of congestive heart failure (CHF) due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in later life. Eighteen dogs (46 per cent) had had atrial fibrillation (AF) at their first examination. Other ECG abnormalities detected at previous examinations were ventricular and supraventricular premature contractions, first and second degree atrioventricular block, P mitrale and left anterior fascicular and right bundle branch blocks. All 39 dogs had developed AF by the time of onset of CHF. The mean age at which CHF was diagnosed was 77 months in males and 86 months in females. The mean age at which AF was first detected was 45 months in males and 59 months in females, and the mean time from the first detection of AF to CHF was 27 months in males and 24 months in females. Previous echocardiographic examinations in eight dogs, over a period of up to five years, revealed progressive left atrial and left ventricular dilatation. Fractional shortening was reduced to below the normal range at the onset of CHF compared with previous examinations in three cases but increased in five. It appears, therefore, that certain ECG abnormalities, especially AF, and/or progressive ventricular and atrial dilatation, may be indicators of 'occult' DCM in wolfhounds.
Asunto(s)
Cardiomiopatía Dilatada/veterinaria , Enfermedades de los Perros/fisiopatología , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/veterinaria , Edad de Inicio , Animales , Fibrilación Atrial/veterinaria , Cardiomiopatía Dilatada/complicaciones , Enfermedades de los Perros/diagnóstico , Perros , Electrocardiografía/veterinaria , Femenino , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/diagnóstico , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/etiología , Masculino , Valor Predictivo de las Pruebas , Pronóstico , Estudios Retrospectivos , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
Skeletal muscle extra-aortic counterpulsation was performed in seven dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy. A left latissimus dorsi dynamic descending thoracic aortomyoplasty was used as the autologous counterpulsator. Pulse train stimulation in diastole was used to initiate contraction and fibre type transformation. Two of the dogs died within 48 hours of surgery. The device was successfully activated in the five remaining dogs, but in one individual it failed within 48 hours of activation. Serial echocardiographic examinations of dogs in which the device functioned successfully (n = 4) showed trends towards the decrease in the left ventricular systolic internal dimension, left ventricular diastolic internal dimension, E-point to septal separation and left atrial diameter in systole seven to 14 days following the procedure, although these changes failed to persist in the long-term. The results suggest that skeletal muscle for cardiac assistances such as extra-aortic muscle counterpulsation, might be a therapeutic option for dogs with cardiac failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy.
Asunto(s)
Cardiomiopatía Dilatada/veterinaria , Contrapulsación/veterinaria , Enfermedades de los Perros/cirugía , Músculo Esquelético/fisiología , Animales , Gasto Cardíaco Bajo/fisiopatología , Gasto Cardíaco Bajo/cirugía , Gasto Cardíaco Bajo/veterinaria , Cardiomiopatía Dilatada/fisiopatología , Cardiomiopatía Dilatada/cirugía , Contrapulsación/métodos , Enfermedades de los Perros/fisiopatología , Perros , Ecocardiografía/veterinaria , Ecocardiografía Doppler/veterinaria , Electrocardiografía/veterinaria , Femenino , Masculino , Disfunción Ventricular Izquierda/fisiopatología , Disfunción Ventricular Izquierda/cirugía , Disfunción Ventricular Izquierda/veterinariaAsunto(s)
Arritmias Cardíacas/veterinaria , Enfermedades de los Perros/fisiopatología , Electrocardiografía/veterinaria , Animales , Arritmias Cardíacas/fisiopatología , Fibrilación Atrial/fisiopatología , Fibrilación Atrial/veterinaria , Perros , Electrocardiografía/métodos , Femenino , Frecuencia Cardíaca/fisiología , MasculinoRESUMEN
Clinical signs of electrically silent muscle hypertonicity are described in five Cavalier King Charles dogs. Biopsies of the biceps femoris and triceps muscles, when examined with the electron microscope, revealed evidence of sarcotubular and mitochondrial abnormalities. These included enlargement of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, hydropic degeneration of mitochondria, tubular proliferations in the vicinity of the triads and vacuolar invagination of mitochondria. The exact nature of these findings is not clear and it is suggested that utilization of tracer techniques would help to explain them.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades de los Perros/patología , Músculos/patología , Enfermedades Musculares/veterinaria , Animales , Biopsia , Enfermedades de los Perros/fisiopatología , Perros , Músculos/ultraestructura , Enfermedades Musculares/patología , Enfermedades Musculares/fisiopatologíaRESUMEN
The Chiltern Box is a small electrocardiograph designed for home monitoring of human patients. Its veterinary application has been investigated in the dog, the cat and the horse. It has been useful in the diagnosis of previously undiagnosed dysrhythmias in dogs showing signs of exercise intolerance and syncope.