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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2026; 16(4); 569; doi: 10.3390/ani16040569

Evaluation of Pulse Pressure as a Hemodynamic Marker of Cardiac Disease in Dogs and Horses Undergoing Pre-Anesthetic Assessment.

Abstract: Pulse pressure (PP) reflects ventricular stroke volume and arterial compliance, but its utility as a marker of cardiac disease in animals is not well established. This study evaluated the association between PP and echocardiographically confirmed cardiac abnormalities in dogs and horses and assessed its potential in pre-anesthetic evaluation. Clinical and echocardiography examination of 20 dogs and 20 horses was sufficient for inter-group comparisons and assignments to a Cardiac group (echocardiographically confirmed cardiac disease) or a Control group (healthy animals). Non-invasive oscillometric blood pressure was measured, and PP was calculated. Animals with cardiac abnormalities showed significantly higher PP but not mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) compared with healthy subjects. In horses, PP was approximately 22 mmHg higher in the Cardiac group ( = 0.042), while in dogs, the increase was 25 mmHg ( < 0.001). Regression analysis confirmed cardiac status as an independent predictor of elevated PP ( = 0.001) with excellent and good discriminatory performance between healthy and diseased dogs (AUC = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.77-1.00) and healthy and diseased horses (AUC = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.61-1.00), respectively. These results suggest that PP may serve as a sensitive and practical hemodynamic indicator of underlying cardiac disease.
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Publication Date: 2026-02-12 PubMed ID: 41751029PubMed Central: PMC12937357DOI: 10.3390/ani16040569Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Overview

  • This study investigates whether pulse pressure (PP), a measure derived from blood pressure, can effectively indicate cardiac disease in dogs and horses during pre-anesthetic assessments.
  • The research compares PP values in animals with confirmed heart disease against healthy controls to evaluate PP’s potential as a non-invasive diagnostic marker.

Background and Importance

  • Pulse pressure (PP) is calculated as the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure. It reflects two physiological factors: ventricular stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped per heartbeat) and arterial compliance (the elasticity of the arteries).
  • In human medicine, elevated PP has been linked to cardiovascular issues, but its application in veterinary medicine, especially in dogs and horses, is not well established.
  • Identifying simple and non-invasive markers like PP during routine pre-anesthetic evaluations could improve early detection of cardiac diseases, potentially optimizing anesthesia management and patient outcomes.

Study Design and Methods

  • The study involved 40 animals: 20 dogs and 20 horses.
  • Animals were assigned to one of two groups:
    • Cardiac group: animals with echocardiographically confirmed cardiac abnormalities.
    • Control group: healthy animals without cardiac disease.
  • Comprehensive clinical examinations and echocardiography were performed to confirm cardiac status.
  • Non-invasive oscillometric blood pressure measurement devices were used to obtain systolic and diastolic blood pressure values.
  • Pulse pressure (PP) was calculated as the numerical difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Key Findings

  • Animals with confirmed cardiac disease displayed significantly higher pulse pressure compared to healthy controls:
    • In horses, PP was approximately 22 mmHg higher in the cardiac disease group (statistically significant with p = 0.042).
    • In dogs, the increase was even more pronounced, around 25 mmHg higher in the cardiac group (highly significant with p < 0.001).
  • Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) did not significantly differ between cardiac and control groups, indicating that PP may be a more sensitive marker for cardiac disease than MAP.
  • Regression analysis showed that cardiac status independently predicted elevated PP values (p = 0.001), confirming the direct association between heart disease and increased PP.
  • Diagnostic performance assessed by the Area Under the Curve (AUC) from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed:
    • Excellent discrimination in dogs with AUC = 0.90 (95% CI 0.77–1.00).
    • Good discrimination in horses with AUC = 0.81 (95% CI 0.61–1.00).

Implications and Conclusions

  • Pulse Pressure is a practical, non-invasive hemodynamic parameter that correlates strongly with echocardiographically confirmed cardiac disease in both dogs and horses.
  • Because PP can be easily obtained from blood pressure readings done during routine pre-anesthetic assessments, it offers a convenient screening tool that could alert veterinarians to underlying cardiac pathology before anesthesia, potentially reducing anesthetic risk.
  • The lack of significant MAP differences highlights that conventional blood pressure measurements might not be sufficient alone for cardiac evaluation, while PP provides additional diagnostic value.
  • Further research with larger sample sizes and additional species could validate PP as a universal veterinary marker for cardiac health monitoring.

Cite This Article

APA
Lutvikadic I, Preldzic D, Floriano D, Hopster K. (2026). Evaluation of Pulse Pressure as a Hemodynamic Marker of Cardiac Disease in Dogs and Horses Undergoing Pre-Anesthetic Assessment. Animals (Basel), 16(4), 569. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16040569

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 16
Issue: 4
PII: 569

Researcher Affiliations

Lutvikadic, Ismar
  • Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 382 W Street Rd., Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA.
  • Department of Clinical Science, Veterinary Faculty, University of Sarajevo, Zmaja od Bosne 90, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Preldzic, Dajna
  • Department of Clinical Science, Veterinary Faculty, University of Sarajevo, Zmaja od Bosne 90, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Floriano, Dario
  • Department of Clinical Studies and Advanced Medicine, Matthew J. Ryan Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 2900 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Hopster, Klaus
  • Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 382 W Street Rd., Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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