M-mode ultrasonic assessment of equine fetal heart rate.
Abstract: Embryonic heart rate was studied during 87 examinations in 56 mares on Days 25 to 174 post ovulation. Real-time B-mode using a stopwatch and M-mode ultrasonography were compared. For analyses of heart rates, data were grouped into weeks or months. For the stopwatch and M-mode techniques, respectively, heart rates averaged 123 and 133 beats per minute during Month 1, peaked during Month 3 at 172 or 196 beats, then gradually decreased over the duration of the study to 126 and 130 beats during Month 6. There was a significant increase in heart rate from Months 1 to 2 and Months 2 to 3 and a significant decrease from Months 3 to 4 and Months 5 to 6 for both techniques. There was a tendency for a difference (P<0.08) between techniques during Month 1 and a significant difference between techniques for each of Months 2 and 3. The lower heart rate values for the stopwatch technique during Months 1, 2 and 3 may have reflected the difficulties associated with maintaining the transducer field on the fetal heart continuously for an adequate period of time (Months 1 and 2) and difficulty counting fast enough to keep up with the fetal heart (Months 2 and 3). When data were grouped weekly, the largest increase in fetal heart rate occurred between Weeks 4 and 5.
Publication Date: 1995-10-01 PubMed ID: 16727759DOI: 10.1016/0093-691x(95)00241-yGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research investigates equine fetal heart rate through 87 examinations on 56 mares within 25 to 174 days post ovulation. The study compares data gathered through real-time B-mode using a stopwatch and M-mode ultrasonography. With significant differences in heart rates readings from both methods, the study points to technical challenges in stopwatch use during the earlier months as a plausible explanation for lower heart rate readings.
Examination of Equine Fetal Heart Rate
- The research is primarily focused on the assessment of embryonic heart rate through an extensive study comprising 87 examinations of 56 mares. The gestation period during which the examinations took place was from 25 to 174 days post ovulation.
- Two techniques were employed to measure and compare fetal heart rates – the real-time B-mode, which made use of a stopwatch, and the M-mode ultrasonography, a more technologically advanced method.
Data Analysis and Findings
- For the purpose of a thorough analysis, the data were categorized into weeks or months. The readings from the stopwatch and M-mode techniques displayed a disparity. For example, the average heart rate recorded during the first month by both techniques was 123 and 133 beats per minute, respectively. The heart rates peaked during the third month at 172 (stopwatch) and 196 beats (M-mode), and then gradually decreased over the duration of the study, finally reaching 126 (stopwatch) and 130 beats (M-mode) per minute during the sixth month.
- Data demonstrated a significant increase in heart rate from the first to the second month and from the second to the third month, while there was a significant decrease from the third to the fourth and from the fifth to the sixth months. This trend was consistent for both techniques.
- There were differences between techniques in terms of readings, particularly during the first month, which was more prominent during the second and third months. Inferences from this could suggest that the lower heart rate values documented through the stopwatch technique during the first to third months possibly indicated the difficulties encountered while maintaining an uninterrupted field of the transducer on the fetal heart for a sufficient time. Other related difficulties may include counting fast enough to keep up with the rapid heartbeats.
- When data were grouped on a weekly basis, the most substantial increase in fetal heart rate transpired between the fourth and fifth weeks.
Cite This Article
APA
Curran S, Ginther OJ.
(1995).
M-mode ultrasonic assessment of equine fetal heart rate.
Theriogenology, 44(5), 609-617.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0093-691x(95)00241-y Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Gao Y, Hannan MA, Murata K, Rajabi-Toustani R, Nambo Y. Ultrasonographic examination of equine fetal growth parameters throughout gestation in pony for Equine-Assisted Therapy. J Vet Med Sci 2022 Jan 7;84(1):74-81.
- Karadaev M, Fasulkov I, Vasilev N, Atanasova S. The use of ultrasonographic measurement of the heart size and fetal heart rate variation for gestational age determination in local Bulgarian goats. Vet Med Sci 2021 Sep;7(5):1736-1742.
- Mitchell ARM, Delvescovo B, Tse M, Crouch EE, Cheong SH, Castillo JM, Felippe MJB, Ainsworth DM, de Amorim MD. Successful management of hydrallantois in a Standardbred mare at term resulting in the birth of a live foal. Can Vet J 2019 May;60(5):495-501.
- Cummins C, Carrington S, Fitzpatrick E, Duggan V. Ascending placentitis in the mare: A review. Ir Vet J 2008 May 1;61(5):307-13.
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