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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(6); doi: 10.3390/ani12060698

Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Horses: Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Clinical Aspects.

Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in horses causing poor performance. As in humans, the condition can be intermittent in nature, known as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF). This review covers the literature relating to pAF in horses and includes references to the human literature to compare pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic tools and treatment. The arrhythmia is diagnosed by auscultation and electrocardiography (ECG), and clinical signs can vary from sudden loss of racing performance to reduced fitness or no signs at all. If left untreated, pAF may promote electrical, functional and structural remodeling of the myocardium, thus creating a substrate that is able to maintain the arrhythmia, which over time may progress into permanent AF. Long-term ECG monitoring is essential for diagnosing the condition and fully understanding the duration and frequency of pAF episodes. The potential to adapt human cardiac monitoring systems and computational ECG analysis is therefore of interest and may benefit future diagnostic tools in equine medicine.
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Publication Date: 2022-03-10 PubMed ID: 35327097PubMed Central: PMC8944606DOI: 10.3390/ani12060698Google 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 research article focuses on the occurrence and treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) in horses, a condition characterized by intermittent and abnormal heart rhythm. The review makes use of existing literature on the topic, along with comparisons from human literature, to examine the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic tools, and treatment of this condition.

Pathophysiology and Clinical Presentation

  • The article starts by defining atrial fibrillation (AF) as a prevalent arrhythmia in horses, which can lead to diminished physical performance. The intermittent manifestation of this condition is referred to as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF).
  • The clinical signs of pAF can be diverse, from sudden deterioration of racing performance to reduced fitness, or even showing no symptoms at all. Some horses may not show any signs, which makes this condition challenging to diagnose.
  • When pAF isn’t treated, it may cause electrical, functional, and structural changes in the myocardium (heart muscle). The changes in the heart muscle create an environment conducive for maintaining the arrhythmia, potentially progressing into persistent AF over time.

Diagnostic Tools and Treatment

  • The diagnosis of pAF involves auscultation (listening to the sounds within the body, especially heart sounds) and electrocardiography (ECG), which records the electrical activity of the heart over a period to detect abnormalities.
  • For a complete understanding of the duration and frequency of pAF episodes, long-term ECG monitoring is crucial. This is because pAF episodes could be brief and sporadic, making it difficult to capture in routine checks.
  • The review also considers the potential of adopting human cardiac monitoring systems and computational ECG analysis into equine medicine. These advanced tools could provide a more accurate and efficient way of diagnosing and managing the condition in horses.

The article advocates for an expanded utilization of these diagnostic tools and further research into potential treatment strategies for pAF in horses. The comparison to human literature serves to highlight possible advancements and adaptations that could benefit equine medicine, such as enhanced cardiac monitoring systems.

Cite This Article

APA
Kjeldsen ST, Nissen SD, Buhl R, Hopster-Iversen C. (2022). Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Horses: Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Clinical Aspects. Animals (Basel), 12(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12060698

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 6

Researcher Affiliations

Kjeldsen, Sofie Troest
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Agrovej 8, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark.
Nissen, Sarah Dalgas
  • Laboratory of Cardiac Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Buhl, Rikke
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Agrovej 8, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark.
Hopster-Iversen, Charlotte
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Agrovej 8, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
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