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Topic:Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular health in horses encompasses the study of the heart and blood vessels, focusing on their structure, function, and associated disorders. The equine cardiovascular system is responsible for the circulation of blood, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues, and removing waste products. Research in this area includes the examination of cardiac anatomy, the electrophysiology of the heart, and common cardiovascular conditions such as arrhythmias, valvular diseases, and heart murmurs. Diagnostic tools such as echocardiography, electrocardiography, and cardiac biomarkers are utilized to assess cardiovascular function and detect abnormalities. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the physiological mechanisms, diagnostic approaches, and therapeutic strategies related to cardiovascular health in horses.
In search of epigenetic hallmarks of different tissues: an integrative omics study of horse liver, lung, and heart. DNA methylation and microRNA (miRNA) expression are epigenetic mechanisms essential for regulating tissue-specific gene expression and metabolic processes. However, high-resolution transcriptome, methylome, or miRNAome data is only available for a few model organisms and selected tissues. Up to date, only a few studies have reported on gene expression, DNA methylation, or miRNA expression in adult equine tissues at the genome-wide level. In the present study, we used RNA-Seq, miRNA-seq, and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) data from the heart, lung, and liver tissues of healt...
Stress Responses in Horses Housed in Different Stable Designs during Summer in a Tropical Savanna Climate. Single-confinement housing can pose welfare risks to domestic horses. This study investigated horses' stress responses when confined to single stalls in different stable designs in a tropical savanna region to address a gap in the literature. In total, 23 horses were assigned to a stable with a central corridor and solid external walls (A) (N = 8), a stable with one side corridor and solid external walls (B) (N = 6), or a stable with a central corridor and no solid external walls (C) (N = 9). Air velocity, relative humidity, air temperature, and noxious gases were measured inside the stables, ...
Intracardiac ultrasound-guided transseptal puncture in horses: Outcome, follow-up, and perioperative anticoagulant treatment. Cardiac catheterizations in horses are mainly performed in the right heart, as access to the left heart traditionally requires an arterial approach. Transseptal puncture (TSP) has been adapted for horses but data on follow-up and closure of the iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) are lacking. Objective: To perform TSP and assess postoperative complications and iASD closure over a minimum of 4 weeks. Methods: Eleven healthy adult horses. Methods: Transseptal puncture was performed under general anesthesia. Serum cardiac troponin I concentrations were measured before and after puncture. Wee...
Histological evaluation of cardiac remodelling in equine athletes. Approximately 1-2 per 100,000 young athletes die from sudden cardiac death (SCD) and extreme exercise may be associated with myocardial scar and arrhythmias. Racehorses have a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and SCD but the presence of myocardial scar and inflammation has not been evaluated. Cardiac tissues from the left (LAA) and right (RAA) atrial appendages, left ventricular anterior (LVAPM) and posterior (LVPPM) papillary muscles, and right side of the interventricular septum (IVS-R) were harvested from racehorses with sudden cardiac death (SCD, n = 16) or other fatal injur...
Heritability of sudden cardiac death in Thoroughbred racehorses. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important cause of exercise-associated fatalities in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine deaths share similarities with fatalities in human athletes that result from inherited cardiac disease. Whilst genetic causes have been postulated in horses, these have not been confirmed and heritability of SCD has not previously been estimated in Thoroughbred racehorses. Objective: To determine the heritability of SCD in a sample population of Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: Steward and post-mortem reports of Thoroughbred racehorse...
Evaluation of vasovagal tonus index and electrocardiographic parameters in horses using a new modified base apex lead method. Vasovagal tonus index (VVTI) serves as a straightforward assessment tool for autonomic function during both physiological and pathological conditions, including pregnancy, in horses. Obtaining VVTI through a modified base apex lead system could be a practical and comfortable solution. In this study, we assessed VVTI in horses with respect to training status and electrocardiographic measurements utilizing a novel modified base apex lead technique. Unassigned: A total of 12 Thai native crossbred horses and 12 Arabian horses, all free of cardiac abnormalities, were enrolled in the study. Animals ...
Retrospective study of the changes in dynamic compliance and ventilation/perfusion mismatch following salbutamol inhalation in hypoxaemic mechanically ventilated anaesthetized horses. To study the changes in dynamic compliance (C), ventilation/perfusion (V˙/ Q˙) mismatch and haemodynamic variables in hypoxaemic anaesthetized horses whose PaO increased following salbutamol inhalation. Methods: Retrospective, clinical, cohort study. Methods: A group of 73 client-owned horses treated with salbutamol when PaO <100 mmHg (13.3 kPa) during anaesthesia. Methods: Horses were divided into two groups: responders (R), where PaO after salbutamol ≥1.2 PaO before treatment (i.e. ≥20% increase), and non-responders (NR), where PaO after salbutamol <1.2 PaO before treatment. Demo...
Clinical and echocardiographic evaluations of sedative and cardiovascular effects of combination of xylazine-acepromazine versus xylazine-pregabalin in horses. The aim of this study was to compare the sedative and cardiovascular effects of the combination of xylazine-acepromazine versus xylazine-pregabalin - in horses. Four healthy crossbred horses were included in the study and assigned to two treatments. In treatment I (T1), the animals received xylazine hydrochloride (1.00 mg kg) in combination with acepromazine maleate (0.05 mg kg) intravenously. In treatment II (T2), the animals received intragastric administration of pregabalin (4.00 mg kg) followed by xylazine hydrochloride (1.00 mg kg) intravenously after 60 min. Head height above ground (HHA...
A Review of Equine Anesthetic Induction: Are all equine anesthetic inductions “crash” inductions? Horses are the most challenging of the common companion animals to anesthetize. Induction of anesthesia in the horse is complicated by the fact that it is accompanied by a transition from a standing position to recumbency. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on induction of anesthesia with a focus on the behavioral and physiologic/pharmacodynamic responses and the actions and interactions of the drugs administered to induce anesthesia in the healthy adult horse with the goal of increasing consistency and predictability.
Effect of an endothelial regulatory module on plasma proteomics in exercising horses. Elite performing exercise requires an intricate modulation of the blood pressure to support the working muscles with oxygen. We have previously identified a genomic regulatory module that associates with differences in blood pressures of importance for elite performance in racehorses. This study aimed to determine the effect of the regulatory module on the protein repertoire. We sampled plasma from 12 Coldblooded trotters divided into two endothelial regulatory module haplotype groups, a sub-elite performing haplotype (SPH) and an elite performing haplotype (EPH), each at rest and exercise. Th...
Effects of conditioning on the left ventricular function of young purebred Arabian horses. The effects of conditioning on cardiac function in young horses is still unknown. For this reason, this study evaluated the left ventricular (LV) function of young horses by echocardiography after six weeks of conditioning. Fourteen untrained young purebred Arabian horses were evaluated at rest and after a stress test (ST) before and after a six-week conditioning program. There was an increase in V4 (p < 0.001) after conditioning, as well as a reduction in both heart rate (HR) at rest and peak HR during the ST (p < 0.001). There was also a reduction in internal diameter, along with an in...
Heat acclimation improves exercise performance in hot conditions and increases heat shock protein 70 and 90 of skeletal muscles in Thoroughbred horses. This study aimed to determine whether heat acclimation could induce adaptations in exercise performance, thermoregulation, and the expression of proteins associated with heat stress in the skeletal muscles of Thoroughbreds. Thirteen trained Thoroughbreds performed 3 weeks of training protocols, consisting of cantering at 90% maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) for 2 min 2 days/week and cantering at 7 m/s for 3 min 1 day/week, followed by a 20-min walk in either a control group (CON; Wet Bulb Globe Temperature [WBGT] 12-13°C; n = 6) or a heat acclimation group (HA; WBGT 29-30°...
Comparison of daily heart rate and heart rate variability in trained and sedentary aged horses. Athletic horses are usually retired from equestrian competition at an advanced age. Aged horses may then continue to have regular exercise or are sedentary. The comparison of autonomic regulation between sedentary aged horses (SAH) and trained aged horses (TAH) after retirement remains unpublished. This study compared daily heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability between 11 SAH and 11 TAH over 22 hours (07.00 h to 05.00 h on an alternate day) and during the day and night. An increase in mean beat-to-beat (RR) intervals (p < 0.01-0.0001) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) index (p &...
Cardiovascular Fitness and Stride Acceleration in Race-Pace Workouts for the Prediction of Performance in Thoroughbreds. In-training racehorse physiological data can be leveraged to further explore race-day performance prediction. To date, no large retrospective, observational study has analysed whether in-training speed and heart rate recovery can predict racehorse success. Speed (categorised as 'slow' to 'fast' according to the time taken to cover the last 600 m from a virtual finish line) and heart rate recovery (from gallop to 1 min after exercise) of flat racehorses (n = 485) of varying age, sex and type according to distance (e.g., sprinter, miler and stayer) were obtained using a fitness tracker from a si...
Therapeutic advances in atrial fibrillation based on animal models. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent sustained cardiac arrhythmia among humans, with its incidence increasing significantly with age. Despite the high frequency of AF in clinical practice, its etiology and management remain elusive. To develop effective treatment strategies, it is imperative to comprehend the underlying mechanisms of AF; therefore, the establishment of animal models of AF is vital to explore its pathogenesis. While spontaneous AF is rare in most animal species, several large animal models, particularly those of pigs, dogs, and horses, have proven as invaluable in rec...
Histopathological changes in the electrical conduction of cardiac nodes after acute myocardial infarction in dogs and horses, compared with findings in humans: A histological, morphometrical, and immunohistochemical study. The heart conduction system is responsible for the occurrence of various types of cardiac arrhythmia. This study aimed to histologically and morphometrically describe damaged cardiac nodes during acute myocardial infarction and to compare them with normal tissues in dogs and horses. Unassigned: This study describes the morphometry of cardiac nodes in five dogs and five elderly horses that succumbed to sudden cardiac death (SCD). A computerized morphometric study was conducted to determine the number of cells composing the nodes, different shape and size parameters of nodes, and their relations...
Snake Envenomation. Snakebite envenomation (SBE) in horses can have devastating outcomes. Tissue damage, cardiotoxicity, coagulopathy, and neurotoxicity can be concerns with SBE. Understanding the actions of venom components is important in developing a successful treatment plan. Antivenom is the mainstay of treatment. Long-term deleterious effects can occur including cardiac dysfunction and lameness.
Morphological and histological investigation of the conduction system in the equine atrial muscle sleeve of pulmonary veins. Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in horses causing poor performance. The role of pulmonary vein triggers in the pathogenesis has been identified in horses. Ablation methods have been investigated, but the available information on anatomical, histological and immunohistochemical assessment of the pulmonary vein ostia and the conduction system of the myocardial sleeve is still limited. Objective: The aim of the study was to describe the morphological properties of the myocardial sleeve in healthy horses. Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: Eighty-three equine hearts were dissecte...
Atrial fibrillation as a risk factor for exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage following a standardised exercise test. Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been proposed as a risk factor for exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) due to increased pressure in the left atrium. Objective: To evaluate if AF was associated with EIPH following a standardised exercise test (SET) to fatigue. Methods: Two-arm controlled experiment. Methods: Ten untrained Standardbred mares mean (standard deviation [SD]) age 6 (2) years performed a SET on the treadmill in sinus rhythm (SR) (SET1) and 25-44 days after induction of self-sustained AF (SET2). AF was induced by tachypacing using a pacing device. Endoscopy, including trachea...
Electrocardiographic Reference Values in Clinically Healthy Lusitano Horses. The Lusitano horse is gaining popularity in the equestrian world, and as a result, the significance of applied sports medicine for this breed is growing. As cardiology plays a crucial role in this field, numerous studies have been conducted to establish electrocardiographic reference values in various breeds to ensure a more accurate evaluation. However, studies regarding healthy Lusitano horses are lacking. So, this study aimed to establish electrocardiographic reference values for Lusitano horses, utilizing a sample of 82 clinically healthy animals. The evaluation involved lead II and base-a...
Heart and brain: Change in cardiac entropy is related to lateralised visual inspection in horses. Cerebral lateralisation is the tendency for an individual to preferentially use one side of their brain and is apparent in the biased use of paired sensory organs. Horses vary in eye use when viewing a novel stimulus which may be due to different physiological reactions. To understand the interplay between physiology and lateralisation, we presented a novel object (an inflated balloon) to 20 horses while electrocardiogram traces were collected. We measured the amount of time each horse looked at the balloon with each eye. We calculated 'sample entropy' as a measure of non-linear heart rate var...
Cardiac Biomarker Responses to Acute Exercise in Show Jumping Horses. Cardiac biomarkers are useful to identify cardiac muscle variations in human and equine medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effect of a bout of show jumping training on serum activity of cardiac and muscular biomarkers in healthy athletic horses to include cardiac troponin (cTnI), myoglobin (MB), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Serum samples were collected from seven Italian Saddle horses (three geldings and four mares; 10 ± 3 years; mean body weight 480 ±70 kg), regular...
Pericardiotomy by Transdiaphragmatic Thoracoscopy Singleport in Horses. Thoracoscopy pericardiotomy consists of endoscopic access to the thoracic cavity to perform the opening of the pericardial sac, described in the equine species only through the intercostal access, and there are no studies addressing the singleport transdiaphragmatic access, so the objective was to develop the pericardiotomy technique by transdiaphragmatic thoracoscopy using a single port. The technique was performed using six cadavers of adult horses, positioned in dorsal decubitus, making it possible to initiate access with an incision in the region proximal to the xiphoid process, for the in...
Association of myostatin gene polymorphism with echocardiographic and muscular ultrasonographic measurements in Hungarian thoroughbreds horses. The g.66493737C/T polymorphism of the myostatin gene (MSTN) majorly influences muscle fiber composition and best race distance of Thoroughbreds. Thus, a better understanding of this process may lead to superior genetic exploitation for maximizing Thoroughbred athletic potential. Our objective is to investigate whether myostatin genotypes are associated with muscular development and cardiac variables of Thoroughbreds. Echocardiography and muscular ultrasonography were performed on three groups having C/C, C/T, and T/T genotypes, respectively. Each group consisted of 22 animals. Homogeneity of v...
Medical causes of poor performance and their associations with fitness in Standardbred racehorses. Poor performance is a multifactorial syndrome of racehorses, commonly associated with subclinical disorders, which can be diagnosed by exercise testing. Objective: Describe the prevalence of medical causes of poor performance in Standardbreds unassociated with lameness, and evaluate their relationships with fitness variables measured by exercise treadmill test. Methods: Hospital population of 259 nonlame Standardbred trotters referred for poor performance. Methods: The horses' medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Horses underwent a diagnostic protocol including resting examination, p...
Cardiac output affects the response to pulsed inhaled nitric oxide in mechanically ventilated anesthetized ponies determined by CT angiography of the lung. To measure changes in regional lung perfusion using CT angiography in mechanically ventilated, anesthetized ponies administered pulsed inhaled nitric oxide (PiNO) during hypotension and normotension. Methods: 6 ponies for anesthetic 1 and 5 ponies for anesthetic 2. Methods: Ponies were anesthetized on 2 separate occasions, mechanically ventilated, and placed in dorsal recumbency within the CT gantry. Pulmonary arterial, right atrial, and facial arterial catheters were placed. During both anesthetics, PiNO was delivered for 60 minutes and then discontinued. Anesthetic 1: hypotension (mean arter...
Flow-controlled expiration reduces positive end-expiratory pressure requirement in dorsally recumbent, anesthetized horses. Equine peri-anesthetic mortality is higher than that for other commonly anesthetized veterinary species. Unique equine pulmonary pathophysiologic aspects are believed to contribute to this mortality due to impairment of gas exchange and subsequent hypoxemia. No consistently reliable solution for the treatment of peri-anesthetic gas exchange impairment is available. Flow-controlled expiration (FLEX) is a ventilatory mode that linearizes gas flow throughout the expiratory phase, reducing the rate of lung emptying and alveolar collapse. FLEX has been shown to improve gas exchange and pulmonary me...
Homocysteine-Potential Novel Diagnostic Indicator of Health and Disease in Horses. Homocysteine is an endogenous, non-protein sulfuric amino acid, an intermediate metabolite formed by the methionine transmethylation reaction. Its elevated serum concentration in humans, hyperhomocysteinemia, is a sensitive indicator and a risk factor for coagulation disorders, cardiovascular diseases and dementia. However, the role of homocysteine in veterinary species has not been unequivocally established. Although some research has been conducted in dogs, cats, cattle and pigs, relatively few studies on homocysteine have been conducted in horses. So far, it has been established in this spe...
Comparison of Hemodynamic Effects of Dobutamine and Ephedrine Infusions in Isoflurane-Anesthetized Horses. The objective of this study was to compare the hemodynamic effects of dobutamine and ephedrine during the management of anesthesia-related hypotension in healthy horses. Thirteen horses underwent general anesthesia with isoflurane and were randomly divided into two different groups, one of which received a dobutamine constant rate infusion (CRI) (1 µg/kg bwt/min) and the other received an ephedrine CRI (20 µg/kg bwt/min) when hypotension ( 0.05); however, the heart rate was higher in the ephedrine group (p = 0.0098), and sinus bradyarrhythmia occurred in the dobutamine group. Furthermore, bo...
Long-Term Training Increases Atrial Fibrillation Sustainability in Standardbred Racehorses. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is more prevalent in athletes, and currently, the mechanisms are not fully understood. Atrial fibrillation inducibility and stability was investigated in trained and untrained Standardbred racehorses. The horses underwent echocardiography for evaluation of atrial size. High-density mapping during AF was performed, and the presence of structural remodeling, as well as the expression of inflammatory and pro-inflammatory markers in the atria, was studied. Atrial fibrillation sustained significantly longer after tachypacing in the trained horses, whereas no difference in A...
