Innocent Cardiac Murmur in Puppies: Prevalence, Correlation with Hematocrit, and Auscultation Characteristics

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine

V. Szatmári¹  M.W. van Leeuwen¹ 

[1] Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

关键词: Anemia;    Congenital;    Dogs;    Physiologic;    Screening;   

DOI  :  10.1111/jvim.13632

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Background

The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of innocent cardiac murmurs in clinically healthy puppies, to investigate a possible correlation between the presence of an innocent murmur and hematocrit, and to describe the auscultation characteristics of innocent murmurs.

Hypothesis

Lower hematocrit contributes to the genesis of innocent murmurs.

Animals

Five hundred and eighty-four client-owned clinically healthy puppies, between 20 and 108 days old.

Methods

Two cross-sectional surveys with a 1-year (n = 389 pups) pilot and a half-year (n = 195 pups) principal study periods. Cardiac auscultation was performed by a single, board-certified cardiologist. Hematocrit was measured with an automatized hematology analyzer. Echocardiography was performed only on puppies with a cardiac murmur in the principal study.

Results

In the pilot study, 15% of the dogs had a murmur. Innocent murmur was diagnosed in 28% of the 195 dogs in the principal study. Innocent murmurs were systolic, mostly with a musical character and with a maximal intensity of 2 of 6, and mostly with the point of maximal intensity in the left cardiac base. The hematocrit was significantly lower in the group with a murmur compared to the group without (P = .023).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Innocent murmur was a common finding in puppies at the age when the first veterinary controls usually take place. Physiologic anemia contributes to the genesis of innocent murmurs in puppies. Rising hematocrit in growing puppies can explain the spontaneous disappearance of innocent murmurs with aging. Hematocrit did not differentiate innocent murmurs from abnormal murmurs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

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