[Noninvasive blood pressure measurement using high definition oscillometry in horses with heart diseases].

The study investigates the use of a high definition oscillometry (HDO) device to measure blood pressure in horses, both healthy and those with heart diseases. It establishes that the device delivers relevant data, although it isn’t suitable for tracking the progress or treatment of cardiac conditions.

Research Methodology

• Researchers used a sample of 60 horses, aged between 4 and 31 years old. Half of these horses were designated as healthy based on previous clinical examinations, while the other half were diagnosed with heart conditions including mitral valve insufficiency, aortic valve insufficiency, and atrial fibrillation.
• Several techniques were incorporated to guide the study. Each horse underwent a clinical examination, conventional echocardiography (for cardiac output measurement at the pulmonary artery), repeated noninvasive blood pressure measurements at the coccygeal artery, and Doppler sonographic measurements of arterial blood flow at the lateral digital artery.
• Researchers used the HDO device to measure systolic (SAP), diastolic (DAP), and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) in all horses.
• Further, investigators studied diurnal blood pressure variations in 18 healthy and 18 heart diseased horses during morning and evening times. The blood pressure of three horses with atrial fibrillation was assessed both before and after successful cardioversion.

Research Findings

• In healthy horses, researchers recorded mean SAP, DAP, and MAP of 118 ± 21 mmHg, 70 ± 19 mmHg, and 87 ± 19 mmHg, respectively.
• No significant differences in blood pressure measurements were discovered between healthy horses and those with heart diseases.
• However, horses with aortic valve insufficiency showed slightly higher SAP values, whereas blood pressure dropped in horses suffering from atrial fibrillation compared to healthy horses.
• Healthy horses were observed to have a slight increase in SAP in the evening, indicating a diurnal rhythm in blood pressure.

Conclusions

• The HDO device used in the research allows a convenient, indirect measurement of blood pressure in horses, offering useful values.
• However, given the lack of significant differences in blood pressure between healthy and heart-diseased horses, the method is not recommended for monitoring the progression or response to treatment of cardiac diseases in horses.