Cardiac arrhythmias in poorly performing Standardbred and Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded trotters undergoing high-speed treadmill testing.
Abstract: The significance of cardiac arrhythmias and their possible association with upper airway obstruction are frequently considered in the clinical investigation of poor performance. The specific aims of this retrospective study of a group of poorly performing Standardbred and Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded trotters were to: (1) describe the overall frequency and frequency distributions of arrhythmias; (2) describe arrhythmia characteristics including percent prematurity, relative recovery cycle lengths and QRS morphology; (3) describe variability of normal RR intervals; and (4) explore possible associations between upper airway abnormalities and arrhythmia categories during peak exercise and recovery. The records of 103 trotters presented to the Norwegian University of Life Sciences for high-speed treadmill testing were reviewed. The occurrence of at least one arrhythmic event was high (77-78%) when considering all exercise periods and 6-10% prematurity criteria. Triplets, salvos, and/or paroxysmal tachyarrhythmias occurred in 8% of horses during peak exercise. Complex ventricular arrhythmias occurred in 15% of horses in the first 2 min of recovery. Evaluation of QRS morphology and return cycle lengths demonstrated areas of overlap in characteristics typically attributed to either supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmias. There was no association between airway diagnosis and arrhythmias during any exercise period. The maximum average HR during peak exercise was an excellent predicter for complex ventricular arrhythmias during recovery. Because perfect categorization of arrhythmias is not possible, future studies should report descriptive arrhythmia information. Prospective studies that evaluate various degrees of upper airway obstruction and the effect on known initiators of arrhythmogenesis are needed.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2020-11-21 PubMed ID: 33375960DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2020.105574Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Cardiac Arrhythmias
- Cardiovascular Health
- Clinical Examination
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Study
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Exercise
- Exercise Physiology
- Heart Rate
- Horses
- Retrospective Study
- Standardbred Horses
- Treadmill Exercise
- Trotting Horses
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The research article evaluates the occurrence, characteristics, and potential link between cardiac arrhythmias and upper airway abnormalities in underperforming Standardbred and Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded trotters undergoing high-speed treadmill tests.
Research Objective
- This study aims to determine the frequency and characteristics of cardiac arrhythmias, evaluate the variability of normal RR intervals (time intervals between successive R-waves of the QRS complex on the electrocardiogram), and investigate if there is an association between arrhythmias and upper airway issues during peak exercise and recovery in underperforming Standardbred and Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded trotters.
Methodology
- The research used a retrospective approach, reviewing the records of 103 trotters from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences who underwent high-speed treadmill testing.
Findings
- Arrhythmic events were observed to be high (77-78%) across all exercise periods when considering a 6-10% prematurity criterion.
- Complex rhythms such as triplets, salvos, and/or paroxysmal tachyarrhythmias occurred in 8% of horses during peak exercise.
- Complex ventricular arrhythmias occurred in 15% of horses in the first 2 minutes of recovery.
- Evaluation of QRS morphology and return cycle lengths indicated areas of overlap in characteristics typically attributed to either supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmias.
- No association was found between upper airway diagnosis and arrhythmias during any exercise period.
- The highest average heart rate during peak exercise was found to be an excellent predictor for complex ventricular arrhythmias during recovery.
Conclusions
- The researchers concluded that perfect categorization of arrhythmias is not feasible; therefore, future studies should provide a detailed description of arrhythmia information.
- Prospective studies are advised to evaluate the effect of various degrees of upper airway obstruction on known initiators of arrhythmogenesis.
Cite This Article
APA
Slack J, Stefanovski D, Madsen TF, Fjordbakk CT, Strand E, Fintl C.
(2020).
Cardiac arrhythmias in poorly performing Standardbred and Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded trotters undergoing high-speed treadmill testing.
Vet J, 267, 105574.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2020.105574 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center, Department of Clinical Studies, 382 West Street Rd Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA. Electronic address: slackj@vet.upenn.edu.
- University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center, Department of Clinical Studies, 382 West Street Rd Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA.
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, P.O. Box 369 Sentrum, N-0102 Oslo, Norway.
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, P.O. Box 369 Sentrum, N-0102 Oslo, Norway.
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, P.O. Box 369 Sentrum, N-0102 Oslo, Norway.
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, P.O. Box 369 Sentrum, N-0102 Oslo, Norway.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac / epidemiology
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac / physiopathology
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac / veterinary
- Electrocardiography / methods
- Electrocardiography / veterinary
- Exercise Test / veterinary
- Heart Rate
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Lactic Acid / blood
- Male
- Norway
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Running / physiology
- Sweden
- Troponin T / blood
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Natterson-Horowitz B, Wright K, Van Steenkiste G, Decloedt A, Gagnon AL, Cai X, Mazmanian A. Arrhythmias across the tree of life: comparative insights for human electrophysiology. Front Cardiovasc Med 2025;12:1652591.
- Avison A, Goderre BG, Pyle WG, Physick-Sheard PW. QT Interval and Cardiac Restitution Ratio Complexity in Standardbred Racehorses From Rest to Maximal Effort: Insights Into Arrhythmia Risk. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Sep-Oct;39(5):e70207.
- Navas de Solis C, Ramseyer A, Stefanovski D, Haughan J, Solomon CJ, Kirsch K. Association of heart rate variability, exercise intensity and exercising arrhythmias with competition results in eventing horses. Equine Vet J 2025 Nov;57(6):1446-1456.
- Foreman JH, Tennent-Brown BS, Oyama MA, Sisson DD. Plasma Cardiac Troponin-I Concentration in Normal Horses and in Horses with Cardiac Abnormalities. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jan 3;15(1).
- Avison A, Gelzer AR, Reef VB, Wulster Bills KB, de Solis CN, Kraus MS, Slack J, Stefanovski D, Deacon LJ, Underwood C. Twenty-four hour continuous transvenous temporary right ventricular pacing in healthy horses. J Vet Intern Med 2024 May-Jun;38(3):1751-1764.
- Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Medical causes of poor performance and their associations with fitness in Standardbred racehorses. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jul-Aug;37(4):1514-1527.
- Kenchaiwong W, Sangpo P, Kusol A, Pontaema T, Lerdweeraphon W. The position of ground electrode affects electrocardiographic parameters in horses. Vet World 2022 Apr;15(4):1107-1112.
- Ter Woort F, Dubois G, Tansley G, Didier M, Verdegaal L, Franklin S, Van Erck-Westergren E. Validation of an equine fitness tracker: ECG quality and arrhythmia detection. Equine Vet J 2022 Feb 9;55(2):336-43.
- Hellings IR, Skjerve E, Karlstam E, Valheim M, Ihler CF, Fintl C. Racing-associated fatalities in Norwegian and Swedish harness racehorses: Incidence rates, risk factors, and principal postmortem findings. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Mar;36(2):778-786.
- Alberti E, Stucchi L, Lo Feudo CM, Stancari G, Conturba B, Ferrucci F, Zucca E. Evaluation of Cardiac Arrhythmias before, during, and after Treadmill Exercise Testing in Poorly Performing Standardbred Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 16;11(8).
- Nath LC, Elliott AD, Weir J, Curl P, Rosanowski SM, Franklin S. Incidence, recurrence, and outcome of postrace atrial fibrillation in Thoroughbred horses. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Mar;35(2):1111-1120.
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