Special Issue "Latest Advancements in Equine Cardiology"
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2022.
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Despite the enormous cardiac reserve of the horse, cardiac diseases play an important role in horses and perhaps an even larger role than previously believed. Cardiac diseases may go unnoticed during both rest and exercise but can also result in poor performance, collapse or even sudden death. For the equine industry, animal welfare, rider safety and public relations, it is of major importance to limit or avoid these incidences. Presently, the impact of negative events during horse shows is exacerbated by the rapid distribution of these episodes through global media platforms to a broad community, which may greatly affect the equine sport in terms of economics and reputation. Therefore, constant awareness and research within the diseases of the athletic horse are of utmost importance. During the last decade, the application of new and advanced techniques has further illuminated cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. This has provided veterinarians with more knowledge within the field of cardiology and created conditions for a constant increase in diagnostic and treatment possibilities.
The scope of this issue is extensive, and original manuscripts that address any aspect of equine cardiology are invited for this Special Issue. This may include review papers, original studies and case reports, including single clinical cases with, for example, specific imaging diagnostics.
Prof. Rikke Buhl
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- equine cardiology
- arrhythmias
- murmurs
- echocardiography
- electrocardiography
- athletes heart
- exercise
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: The Use of 12-Lead ECG in Standardbred Racehorses
Authors: Sarah D. Nissen 2, Alberte F. Kristensen 1, Helena Carstensen 1, Rikke Buhl 1, Eva M. Hesselkilde 2.
Affiliation: 1 Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegaard Allé 5, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark.
2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, 2200 CPH N, Denmark.
Abstract: In equine medicine, ECGs are often limited to a standard 3-lead ECG. However, a newly developed method for obtaining 12-lead ECG in horses may detect otherwise overlooked arrhythmias. We investigated whether the 12-lead ECG could reveal the presence of cardiac arrhythmias not detected on the standard 3-lead ECG as well as identified the anatomical site of origin. 12-lead ECGs were obtained from nine Standardbred mares with subsequent measurements of QRS duration, QT interval, T wave duration as well as P-, Q-, R-, S and T amplitude in all leads for each abnormal and sorrounding normal heartbeat detected. The QRS duration, Q-, R-, S and T amplitudes were further compared between normal and abnormal beats in lead II, V1, V4 and V6 using paired student t-test. Additionally, the abnormal beats were divided into five classes based on morphology. Results: 117 ECG recordings were inspected leading to the detection of 25 abnormal heartbeats of which the majority showed morphology consistent with ventricular premature complexes most likely originating from the right ventricle mid septum or free wall. A significant difference between the ECG parameters of normal and abnormal beats was present in the majority of the detected cases, most pronounced in the T wave amplitude. Conclusion: The 12-lead ECG provides a more detailed examination of the heart and allows for otherwise undetected arrhythmias to be identified. Most of the detected arrhythmias was located in the RV free wall in this cohort.
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Title: Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Horses: Pathophysiology, Clinical Aspects and Diagnostics
Authors: Sofie A.T Kjeldsen 1, Sarah D. Nissen 1, Rikke Buhl 1 and Charlotte Hopster-Iversen 1,*
Affiliation: 1 Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Agrovej 8, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark
2 Laboratory of Cardiac Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstract: Atrial fibrillation is the most common pathological cardiac arrhythmia affecting performance in horses The sporadic form of atrial fibrillation is termed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) which spontaneously converts to normal sinus rhythm within 48 hours. Undiagnosed PAF and decreased performance can have great consequences for horses and their owners. There is limited knowledge about the prevalence of PAF in racehorses The aim of this review is to cover the literature describing PAF in horses to understand, which horses that are at risk of developing PAF. The pathophysiology of PAF in horses will be compared to the current literature in human medicine. Current and future diagnostic features including computational analysis of electrocardiograms and the benefit of long term monitoring systems will be enlightened to emphasize the importance of early diagnostics of PAF.