Artifact production with micromanometers used to record intracardiac pressure and sound.

The research investigates the occurrence of erroneous data (artifacts) produced when pressure and sound are recorded within a horse’s heart using a double microtransducer catheter. These anomalies seem to result from improper placing of the catheter, which can move through a valve during recording or push against the valve cusps.

Study Background and Methodology

• Researchers performed experimental right and left heart catheterization on horses. This process involves inserting a catheter into the horse’s heart to measure pressure and sound conditions internally.
• The specific device used was a catheter equipped with two microtransducers placed 9 cm apart. Microtransducers are devices used for converting pressure and sound variables into an electric signal that can be recorded and analyzed.
• The catheter was typically placed in a transvalval position, meaning that it spanned across a heart valve.

Findings

• With this method, they noticed the occurrence of pressure and sound artifacts, or false signals not related to the heart’s actual conditions. These artifacts complicated the process of diagnosing heart conditions based on the data collected using this method.
• The majority of these artifacts were probably due to malpositioning of the catheter. Various factors could contribute to such errors in positioning, including movement through a heart valve while recording, impingement or pushing against the valve cusps or the chordae tendineae, or lodging in the apex or tip of the heart.

Implications

• The identification and understanding of these artifacts are especially critical in studies involving large animals like horses. For such animals, putting the catheter in the correct place can’t be monitored through radiography, a common practice in smaller species.
• While this research focuses on horses, its findings have potential implications for similar studies in other large animals, strengthening the necessity for careful catheter placement and monitoring during heart catheterizations.