Evaluation of Cardiac Arrhythmias before, during, and after Treadmill Exercise Testing in Poorly Performing Standardbred Racehorses.
Abstract: The incidence of significant arrhythmias in sport horses and knowledge about their exact influence on athletic performance need to be clarified. The aims of the present study are to report the prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias during maximal treadmill exercise in poorly performing Standardbreds, and to investigate the possible relationship of demographic, cardiac and performance indices on premature complexes (PCs). Electrocardiographic Holter recordings before, during and after treadmill exercise testing of 158 poorly performing Standardbreds were analyzed retrospectively. Fifty horses did not have any type of arrhythmia. One hundred and eight horses had at least one type of arrhythmia, such as sinus arrhythmia (8.2%), sinoatrial block (3.2%), second-degree atrioventricular block (33.5%), supraventricular PCs (7.6%), and ventricular PCs (48.1%). A multiple regression analysis showed weak evidence that the occurrence of premature complexes decreases as the minimum heart rate increases, and a tendency for these arrhythmias to increase with increasing age and maximum lactate concentration. Our results suggest that PCs are frequent in poorly performing Standardbred racehorses, but further studies are necessary to clarify their role and clinical significance.
Publication Date: 2021-08-16 PubMed ID: 34438870PubMed Central: PMC8388799DOI: 10.3390/ani11082413Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article investigates the prevalence of heart rhythm problems in poorly performing Standardbred racehorses during maximum treadmill exercise and examines the correlation between these cardiac arrhythmias and various demographic, cardiac, and performance indices.
Study Overview
- The researchers focused on the involvement of significant arrhythmias in sport horses and sought to clarify their precise relationship with athletic performance.
- The main objectives of the study were to evaluate the prevalence of cardiac irregularities during maximal treadmill workout, and determine their possible influence on premature complexes (PCs), a type of heart rhythm disturbance.
Methodology and Participant Details
- The study was carried out retrospectively, analyzing electrocardiographic Holter recordings from before, during, and after treadmill exercise tests involving 158 standardbred racehorses that were deemed poor performers.
- Out of these horses, 50 did not exhibit any type of arrhythmia while 108 horses experienced at least one type of arrhythmia.
Findings
- The different types of arrhythmias identified included sinus arrhythmia, sinoatrial block, second-degree atrioventricular block, supraventricular premature complexes, and ventricular premature complexes.
- A multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of various factors on the incidence of premature complexes.
- There was some evidence indicating that the occurrence of premature complexes decreases as the minimum heart rate increases.
- The analysis also suggested a tendency for these arrhythmias to increase with rising age and maximum lactate concentration, a marker of physical exertion and lower oxygen levels.
Conclusions
- The results indicated that premature complexes are common in poorly performing Standardbred racehorses.
- However, the research suggests further studies are needed to conclusively understand their role and clinical significance in this context.
Cite This Article
APA
(2021).
Evaluation of Cardiac Arrhythmias before, during, and after Treadmill Exercise Testing in Poorly Performing Standardbred Racehorses.
Animals (Basel), 11(8), 2413.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082413 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Citations
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