Congestive heart failure in horses: 14 cases (1984-2001).
Abstract: To identify clinical signs, underlying cardiac conditions, echocardiographic findings, and prognosis for horses with congestive heart failure. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 14 horses. Methods: Signalment; history; clinical signs; clinicopathologic, echocardiographic, and radiographic findings; treatment; and outcome were determined by reviewing medical records. Results: All 14 horses were examined because of a heart murmur; tachycardia was identified in all 14. Twelve horses had echocardiographic evidence of enlargement of 1 or more chambers of the heart. Other common clinical findings included jugular distention or pulsation, crackles, cough, tachypnea, and ventral edema. Nine horses had signs consistent with heart failure for > 6 days. Underlying causes for heart failure included congenital defects, traumatic vascular rupture, pericarditis, pulmonary hypertension secondary to heaves, and valvular dysplasia. Seven horses were euthanatized after diagnosis of heart failure; 5 were discharged but were euthanatized or died of complications of heart disease within 1 year after discharge. The remaining 2 horses were discharged but lost to follow-up. Conclusions: Results suggest that congestive heart failure is rare in horses. A loud heart murmur accompanied by either jugular distention or pulsation, tachycardia, respiratory abnormalities (crackles, cough, tachypnea), and ventral edema were the most common clinical signs. Echocardiography was useful in determining the underlying cause in affected horses. The long-term prognosis for horses with congestive heart failure was grave.
Publication Date: 2002-05-23 PubMed ID: 12018380DOI: 10.2460/javma.2002.220.1512Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article is primarily focused on understanding the clinical signs, causes, results from echocardiography, and prognosis for horses suffering from congestive heart failure.
Objective and Methodology
- The study aimed to identify and analyse the clinical signs, the factors causing the underlying cardiac condition, findings from echocardiography, and the overall prognosis for horses afflicted with congestive heart failure.
- The research employed a retrospective methodology, scrutinizing the medical records of a total of 14 horses.
- The variables considered were the horses’ signalment, history, observed clinical signs, clinicopathologic findings, echocardiographic and radiographic revelations, treatment administered, and the outcome.
Findings
- All the 14 horses exhibit a heart murmur and tachycardia.
- Echocardiographic investigations reveal that 12 of these horses had an enlargement of one or more heart chambers.
- Common clinical symptoms included jugular distention or pulsation, pulmonary crackles, cough, tachypnea (rapid breathing), and ventral edema (accumulation of excess fluid).
- Nine of the horses showed signs associated with heart failure for over six days.
- Causes identified behind heart failure included congenital defects, traumatic vascular rupture, pericarditis, lung hypertension secondary to heaves and lastly, valvular dysplasia.
Treatment and Outcome
- Seven horses were put to sleep following their diagnosis with heart failure.
- Five more were discharged, but were also euthanatized or died due to complications within a year post-discharge.
- The final two horses were discharged but due to loss of follow-up, their outcomes are unknown.
Conclusions and Implications
- This research concludes that congestive heart failure is not a common occurrence in horses.
- The most frequently occurring clinical signs were a loud heart murmur, either jugular distention or pulsation, tachycardia, respiratory irregularities such as crackles, cough, tachypnea, and ventral edema.
- This study highlights the importance of echocardiography in determining the underlying cause of illness in the affected horses.
- It also brings to light that the long-term prognosis for horses suffering from congestive heart failure is generally unfavorable.
Cite This Article
APA
Davis JL, Gardner SY, Schwabenton B, Breuhaus BA.
(2002).
Congestive heart failure in horses: 14 cases (1984-2001).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 220(10), 1512-1515.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2002.220.1512 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27606, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Echocardiography / veterinary
- Female
- Heart Failure / diagnosis
- Heart Failure / mortality
- Heart Failure / therapy
- Heart Failure / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Male
- Prognosis
- Retrospective Studies
- Tachycardia / diagnosis
- Tachycardia / therapy
- Tachycardia / veterinary
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Sacks M, Byrne DP, Herteman N, Secombe C, Adler A, Hosgood G, Raisis AL, Mosing M. Electrical impedance tomography to measure lung ventilation distribution in healthy horses and horses with left-sided cardiac volume overload. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Sep;35(5):2511-2523.
- Chapuis RJJ, Ragno VM, Ariza CA, Movasseghi AR, Sayi S, Uehlinger FD, Montgomery JB. Septic fibrinous pericarditis in 4 horses in Saskatchewan following an outbreak of forest tent caterpillars in 2017. Can Vet J 2020 Jul;61(7):724-730.
- Buza T, Arick M 2nd, Wang H, Peterson DG. Computational prediction of disease microRNAs in domestic animals. BMC Res Notes 2014 Jun 27;7:403.
- Buczinski S, Francoz D, Fecteau G, DiFruscia R. Heart disease in cattle with clinical signs of heart failure: 59 cases. Can Vet J 2010 Oct;51(10):1123-9.
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