Heart rate and heart rate variability in pregnant warmblood and Shetland mares as well as their fetuses.
Abstract: Heart rate (HR) is an important parameter of fetal well-being. In horses, HR and heart rate variability (HRV) can be determined by fetomaternal electrocardiography (ECG) from mid-pregnancy to foaling. Normal values for physiological parameters in larger breeds are often used as reference values in ponies. However, HR increases with decreasing size of the animal and in ponies is higher than in warmblood horses. It is not known if fetal HR is affected by breed and if values obtained in larger breeds can be used to assess Shetland fetuses. We have determined fetomaternal beat-to-beat (RR) interval (inversely correlated to HR) and HRV in warmblood (n=6) and Shetland pregnancies (n=7) at days 280 and 300 of gestation by ECG. Maternal RR interval was lower in pony than in warmblood mares (day 280: Shetland: 958±110, warmblood: 1489±126ms, p<0.01) The SDRR (standard deviation of RR interval) and the RMSSD (root mean square of successive RR differences) did not differ between breeds at any time. Also RR interval as well as HRV did not differ between warmblood and pony fetuses (RR interval day 280: Shetland: 606±39, warmblood: 589±38ms). In conclusion, although maternal RR interval is clearly higher in Shetland than in warmblood mares, fetal RR interval in the two breeds is on the same level.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2011-08-22 PubMed ID: 21907506DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2011.07.021Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
Summary
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The study examined heart rate and heart rate variability in pregnant Shetland and warmblood mares and their fetuses. It found that, despite differences in maternal heart rates between the two breeds, fetal heart rates remained consistent across both.
Objective of the Research
- The research aimed to analyze the differences in heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in pregnant warmblood and Shetland mares, as well as in their fetuses. This was to ascertain whether the breed size affects these measures, and if the standards established for larger breeds apply to smaller ones like Shetland ponies.
Methodology
- The researchers conducted electrocardiography (ECG) tests on warmblood (6) and Shetland pregnancies (7) at days 280 and 300 of gestation.
- They primarily measured Beat-to-beat (RR) interval, which is inversely proportional to heart rate, and HRV for both the mare and the fetus.
- They also measured SDRR (standard deviation of RR interval) and RMSSD (root mean square of successive RR differences), key indicators of HRV.
Findings
- The study found that the maternal RR interval was lower in Shetland mares than warmblood mares, indicating that the heart rate in Shetland mares was higher than in warmblood mares. This finding reinforces the known fact that heart rate increases with decreasing size of the animal.
- However, the RR interval as well as HRV did not show any significant difference between the fetuses of warmblood and pony, meaning the fetal heart rates were consistent across both breeds regardless of size.
- There were no identified breed differences in SDRR and RMSSD measurements at any time during gestation.
Conclusion
- The study concludes that though there’s a clear difference in the maternal RR interval between Shetland and warmblood mares, the fetal RR interval remains consistent across the two breeds. This suggests that maternal heart rate and breed size do not significantly influence fetal heart rate.
Cite This Article
APA
Nagel C, Aurich J, Palm F, Aurich C.
(2011).
Heart rate and heart rate variability in pregnant warmblood and Shetland mares as well as their fetuses.
Anim Reprod Sci, 127(3-4), 183-187.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2011.07.021 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Section for Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer, University of Veterinary Science, 1210 Vienna, Austria. Christina.Nagel@vetmeduni.ac.at
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Electrocardiography / veterinary
- Female
- Fetus / physiology
- Gestational Age
- Heart Rate / physiology
- Heart Rate, Fetal / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy, Animal / physiology
- Species Specificity
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Nagel C, Melchert M, Aurich C, Aurich J. Differences in Endocrine and Cardiac Changes in Mares and Her Fetus before, during, and after Parturition in Horses of Different Size.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 4;10(9).
- Gehlen H, Faust MD, Grzeskowiak RM, Trachsel DS. Association Between Disease Severity, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Serum Cortisol Concentrations in Horses with Acute Abdominal Pain.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 2;10(9).
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