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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2024; 14(2); doi: 10.3390/ani14020331

Evaluation of the Audicor Acoustic Cardiography Device as a Diagnostic Tool in Horses with Mitral or Aortic Valve Insufficiency.

Abstract: Mitral and aortic valve insufficiencies have been commonly reported in horses. The objective of this study was to establish the use of acoustic cardiography (Audicor®) in horses with aortic (AI) or mitral valve insufficiency (MI). A total of 17 healthy horses, 18 horses with AI, and 28 horses with MI were prospectively included. None of the horses was in heart failure. Echocardiography and Audicor® analyses were conducted. Electromechanical activating time (EMAT), rate-corrected EMATc, left ventricular systolic time (LVST), rate-corrected LVSTc, and intensity and persistence of the third and fourth heart sound (S3, S4) were reported by Audicor®. Graphical analysis of the three-dimensional (3D) phonocardiogram served to visually detect murmurs. Audicor® snapshot variables were compared between groups using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's multiple-comparisons test. The association between Audicor® snapshot variables and the corresponding echocardiographic variables was investigated by linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses. Heart murmurs were not displayed on Audicor® phonocardiograms. No significant differences were found between Audicor® variables obtained in clinically healthy horses and horses with valvular insufficiency. The Audicor® device is unable to detect heart murmurs in horses. Audicor® variables representing cardiac function are not markedly altered, and their association with corresponding echocardiographic variables is poor in horses with valvular insufficiency that are not in heart failure.
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Publication Date: 2024-01-21 PubMed ID: 38275790PubMed Central: PMC10812805DOI: 10.3390/ani14020331Google Scholar: Lookup
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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.

This study sought to assess the effectiveness of the Audicor device in identifying horses with mitral or aortic valve insufficiency, but found that it was not particularly effective at detecting these issues. Particularly, it could not detect heart murmurs and showed no significant differences between healthy horses and those with valve insufficiency.

Study Design and Methodology

  • The researchers worked with 63 horses. Of these, 17 were healthy, 18 had aortic valve insufficiency (AI), and 28 had mitral valve insufficiency (MI).
  • Echocardiography, a type of ultrasound test that uses sound waves to produce detailed images of the heart’s structure and function, was used alongside analyses with the Audicor device.
  • Using the Audicor device, measures such as Electromechanical activating time (EMAT), rate-corrected EMATc, left ventricular systolic time (LVST), and rate-corrected LVSTc were recorded. The persistence and intensity of the third and fourth heart sounds were also noted.
  • A three-dimensional phonocardiogram, which is a visualization of the sounds of the heart, was used to try to detect murmurs.

Results of the Study

  • According to the study, Audicor phonocardiograms did not display heart murmurs, a common symptom of AI and MI.
  • Sadly, the study found no significant differences between healthy horses and those with AI or MI when it came to the Audicor device’s measurements such as EMAT, EMATc, LVST, and LVSTc.
  • Moreover, the Audicor device didn’t produce markedly altered results for variables representing cardiac function in horses with valve insufficiency that were not in heart failure.

Conclusions Drawn from the Study

  • Unfortunately, the Audicor device did not prove to be an effective tool in diagnosing horses with mitral or aortic valve insufficiency.
  • The device could not detect either heart murmurs or significant differences in cardiac measurements between healthy horses and those with AI or MI.
  • Therefore, the authors of this study concluded that, at least when it comes to horses, the Audicor device’s association with corresponding echocardiographic variables is poor.

Cite This Article

APA
Piotrowski IL, Junge HK, Schwarzwald CC. (2024). Evaluation of the Audicor Acoustic Cardiography Device as a Diagnostic Tool in Horses with Mitral or Aortic Valve Insufficiency. Animals (Basel), 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020331

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 14
Issue: 2

Researcher Affiliations

Piotrowski, Isabelle L
  • Clinic for Equine Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Junge, Hannah K
  • Clinic for Equine Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Schwarzwald, Colin C
  • Clinic for Equine Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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