Evaluation of a novel ambulatory electrocardiogram monitor (the Carnation Ambulatory Monitor) for use in horses.

The study explores the effectiveness of a new long-term Electrocardiogram (ECG) patch recorder, the Carnation Ambulatory Monitor, for use in equines to better detect paroxysmal arrhythmias. The device was assessed for its ideal placement, practicality, durability, and performance among twenty-one adult mixed-breed horses.

Methods of Study

• The research was a prospective observational study involving twenty-one adult mixed-breed horses.
• The study was divided into three phases. During the first phase, ECG patches were fitted at selected sites on three horses.
• In phase two, the two most promising sites were selected for further wear testing.
• Phase three involved a trial on eighteen horses using the best site determined from the prior phase.
• The Carnation Ambulatory Monitor (CAM) was compared with a standard telemetric ECG during the first phase of the study.
• The ECGs recorded by CAM were analyzed using proprietary software.

Results of the Study

• The study found that the ideal placement for the CAM was the ventral midline caudal to the xiphisternum and left thorax caudal to the girth.
• The ventral midline was chosen for further evaluation based on the promising results.
• The device provided reliable and excellent ECG quality at rest, with a median quality score of 4.5/5 (range 3-5), for extended periods that allowed for the detection of arrhythmias.
• However, the ECG quality was poor during physical exercise, except for three horses who showed satisfactory results.
• In 15 out of 17 placements in resting horses, more than 85% of potential recording time was achieved, indicating good durability and practicality of the device.

Conclusions of the Study

• The study concluded that the CAM is a convenient and well-tolerated device for evaluating the cardiac rhythm of horses at rest over long periods.
• However, the study suggests further evaluation of the ideal placement site during physical exercise to increase CAM’s diagnostic utility.