Electrocardiographic findings during parturition and blood gas tensions immediately after birth in thoroughbred foals.
Abstract: In 101 newborn Thoroughbred foals and foaling mares, 45 fetal (FECGs) and 101 neonatal electrocardiograms (NECGs) were obtained to investigate neonatal arrhythmias and other parameters including changes in fetal (FHR) and neonatal heart rate (NHR). Moreover, umbilical arterial, venous and jugular venous blood gas tensions and pH immediately after birth were analyzed to compare with the type and the degree of neonatal arrhythmias. Before delivery, in 37 fetuses FHR gradually decreased while in 8 cases it increased after rupture of the chorio-allantois. Abnormal deliveries were related in 5 of the 8 cases. In foals born with sinus rhythm, NHR at birth was 22 beats per minute higher than the FHR immediately before birth, gradually decreased for 1-2 min and then increased. Various types of neonatal arrhythmias and their combinations were recorded in 92 of the 101 NECGs. No arrhythmias demonstrated in NECGs were detected in the FECGs. The mean values for umbilical arterial pH, PCO2 and PO2 indicated that newborn foals at birth were exposed to hypoxemic, hypercapnic and acidemic conditions. The relationship between the umbilical arterial PO2 value as an indicator of the degree of hypoxemia of the foal and the type of arrhythmias was not apparent. However, the PO2 value in the group with severe arrhythmias was comparatively lower than that in the group with mild arrhythmias. It was suggested that hypoxemia played an important role in neonatal arrhythmias.
Publication Date: 1991-12-01 PubMed ID: 1821437
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study investigates heart rates and blood gas levels of newborn Thoroughbred foals to understand neonatal arrhythmias. Over 100 newborn foals and mares were included, identifying variations in heart rate development and exploring how oxygen levels at birth may impact the degree of arrhythmias.
Methods and Subjects
- The research included 101 newborn Thoroughbred foals and their respective mothers at birth.
- Electrocardiograms for fetuses (FECGs) and neonates (NECGs) were obtained to observe the heart conditions and to detect any neonatal arrhythmias. A total of 45 FECGs and 101 NECGs were recorded.
- Fetal (FHR) and neonatal heart rate (NHR) shifts were particularly examined.
- Blood gas tensions and pH in the umbilical arterial, venous, and jugular veins soon after birth were assessed to establish their correlation with the neonatal arrhythmias.
Results
- Throughout the study, decrease in FHR was observed in 37 fetuses before delivery, while an increase in heart rate was noticed in 8 cases following the rupture of the chorio-allantois. Abnormal deliveries were reported in 5 out of these 8 cases.
- The NHR at birth for foals born with normal sinus rhythm was higher than FHR just before birth. It gradually declined for 1-2 minutes and then increased.
- Neonatal arrhythmias of various types and combinations were recorded in 92 of the 101 NECGs. No arrhythmias shown in NECGs were visible in FECGs.
- The average umbilical arterial pH, PO2, and PCO2 values suggested that newborn foals experience hypoxemic, hypercapnic, and acidemic conditions at birth.
Conclusion
- The type and severity of neonatal arrhythmias did not show a clear correlation with the umbilical arterial PO2 value, an indicator of hypoxemia.
- However, lower PO2 values were observed in the group with severe arrhythmias compared to the mild arrhythmias group.
- This suggests that hypoxemia, or low oxygen levels, might play a significant role in the occurrence of neonatal arrhythmias.
Cite This Article
APA
Yamamoto K, Yasuda J, Too K.
(1991).
Electrocardiographic findings during parturition and blood gas tensions immediately after birth in thoroughbred foals.
Jpn J Vet Res, 39(2-4), 143-157.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn / blood
- Animals, Newborn / physiology
- Blood Gas Analysis / veterinary
- Electrocardiography / veterinary
- Female
- Heart Rate
- Heart Rate, Fetal
- Horses / blood
- Horses / physiology
- Labor, Obstetric / physiology
- Pregnancy
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Petrucelli M, Sgorbini M, Castagnetti C, Lanci A, Mariella J, Marmorini P, Freccero F. Smartphone-based ECG assessment of heart rhythm at birth in healthy foals born after spontaneous or induced parturition: is there a potential difference?. Vet Res Commun 2024 Nov 23;49(1):31.
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