Assessment of systolic and diastolic function in clinically healthy horses using ambulatory acoustic cardiography.
Authors: Zuber N, Zuber M, Schwarzwald C C
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Assessment of systolic and diastolic function in clinically healthy horses using ambulatory acoustic cardiography Continuous cardiac monitoring in equine practice remains challenging due to the expertise and equipment required for conventional echocardiography and electrocardiography. Zuber and colleagues investigated whether the Audicor® device—a portable acoustic cardiograph combining ECG and phonocardiography—could provide examiner-independent, automated assessment of cardiac mechanical and haemodynamic variables in ambulatory horses. Over 116 healthy horses underwent overnight recordings averaging 10 hours 21 minutes, yielding diagnostic-quality data on electromechanical activating time (EMAT), left ventricular systolic time (LVST), and heart sound characteristics; approximately 45% of horses displayed atrial premature complexes and 4% ventricular premature complexes, whilst the third heart sound was significantly more prominent in younger animals. Between-day reproducibility proved acceptable, with coefficients of variation ranging from 2.5 to 7.7% for key systolic and diastolic indices. Whilst the technology requires specialist over-reading of rhythm analysis, the automated acoustic cardiography algorithms offer potential for non-invasive continuous monitoring without operator dependency—though clinical application in diseased populations remains to be established, and practitioners should note that the device's algorithms derive from human databases rather than equine-specific validation.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Acoustic cardiography is a feasible, non-invasive tool for continuous overnight cardiac monitoring in horses without requiring specialized operator training for the automated analyses
- •Age-related changes in heart sounds (S3) should be considered when interpreting cardiac examinations in younger versus older horses
- •Occasional premature complexes detected during long-term monitoring are normal findings in clinically healthy horses and do not necessarily indicate pathology
Key Findings
- •Acoustic cardiography (Audicor®) successfully obtained diagnostic-quality recordings in 116 of 123 healthy horses with mean artefact-free recording time of 10:21 hours
- •S3 intensity was significantly higher in younger horses compared to older horses (P = 0.0036)
- •Between-day coefficient of variation for systolic/diastolic time indices ranged from 2.5-7.7%, demonstrating good reproducibility
- •44.8% of horses showed atrial premature complexes and 4.3% showed ventricular premature complexes during overnight recordings, indicating these arrhythmias are common in clinically healthy horses