Myocardial fibrosis in a horse with polymorphic ventricular tachycardia observed during general anesthesia.
Abstract: Ventricular dysrhythmias are more commonly associated with myocardial disease than are supraventricular dysrhythmias. Management of arrhythmias under general anesthesia is difficult because of the dysrhythmogenic effects of the anesthetic drugs. This report describes a severe ventricular dysrhythmia observed in a pony under general anesthesia, with a severe and old myocardial fibrosis found on postmortem examination. Fibrose du myocarde chez un cheval présentant de la tachycardie ventriculaire polymorphe observée au cours d’une anesthésie générale. Les dysrythmies ventriculaires sont plus souvent associées aux maladies du myocarde que ne le sont les dysrythmies supraventriculaires. Les mesures à prendre lors d’arythmie survenant lors d’anesthésie générales sont compliquées par les effets dysrythmogènes des agents anesthésiques. Ce rapport décrit une dysrythmie ventriculaire grave observée chez un poney au cours d’une anesthésie générale et dont on a constaté à la nécropsie une grave et vielle fibrose du myocarde. (Traduit par Docteur André Blouin)
Publication Date: 2007-07-10 PubMed ID: 17616061PubMed Central: PMC1876193
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Summary
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This study researches the occurrence of serious heart rhythm abnormalities in a horse under general anesthesia and connects it to severe heart muscle disease discovered during a postmortem examination.
Understanding the Terminology
- Myocardial fibrosis refers to the stiffening of the heart muscle resulting from excess deposition of extracellular matrix, which can cause the heart to function abnormally.
- Ventricular tachycardia is a term used to describe a fast, irregular heartbeat that arises from improper electrical activity in the ventricles of the heart.
- General anesthesia is a state of total unconsciousness for a patient during a surgical procedure, typically induced by a combination of drugs. This term is important for understanding the context of the horse’s medical condition in the study.
Key Findings
- The study found that ventricular dysrhythmias, or irregular heart rhythms, are more commonly associated with myocardial disease (a type of heart disease) than supraventricular dysrhythmias. The former originates in the lower chambers of the heart known as the ventricles, while the latter starts in the upper chambers, or atria.
- Management of such arrhythmias under general anesthesia is challenging due to the dysrhythmogenic effects, or the tendency to cause irregular heartbeat, of anesthetic drugs.
- A severe ventricular dysrhythmia (unusually rapid heart rhythm that starts in the ventricles) was observed in a pony under general anesthesia.
- A detailed postmortem examination of the pony revealed a severe and old myocardial fibrosis, indicating a long-standing heart muscle disease. This fibrosis can disrupt the normal rhythm of the heart and contribute to the development of dangerous arrhythmias.
Study Implications
- The findings of the study highlight the potential risks of administering general anesthesia to animals with unknown heart conditions.
- They are important in the context of veterinary medicine and surgery, as they caution veterinarians to thoroughly screen for heart diseases, especially in older animals, before resorting to general anesthesia for surgical procedures.
Cite This Article
APA
Coudry V, Jean D, Desbois C, Tnibar A, Laugier C, George C.
(2007).
Myocardial fibrosis in a horse with polymorphic ventricular tachycardia observed during general anesthesia.
Can Vet J, 48(6), 623-626.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Clinique equine - CIRALE, DEPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 7, avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94704 Maisons-Alfort, France. vcoudry@vet-alfort.fr
MeSH Terms
- Anesthesia, General / adverse effects
- Anesthesia, General / veterinary
- Animals
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Electrocardiography / veterinary
- Endomyocardial Fibrosis / diagnosis
- Endomyocardial Fibrosis / veterinary
- Fatal Outcome
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horses
- Male
- Tachycardia, Ventricular / etiology
- Tachycardia, Ventricular / veterinary
References
This article includes 18 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Miranda ALS, Antunes BC, Minozzo JC, Lima SA, Botelho AFM, Campos MTG, Chávez-Olórtegui C, Soto-Blanco B. The Health Status of Horses Used for at Least Six Complete Cycles of Loxoscelic Antivenom Production. Toxins (Basel) 2023 Sep 26;15(10).
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