RESUMEN
Symptoms of infective endocarditis (IE) and myocarditis are usually nonspecific and include fever, apathy, and loss of appetite. This condition can lead to severe heart failure with ascites or/and fluid in the thoracic cavity or/and in the pericardial sac. We describe infective endocarditis and myocarditis in 3 dogs and 4 cats. In all animals, the initial diagnosis was performed on the basis of a focused cardiac ultrasound examination performed by a general practitioner after a training in this technique. The initial findings were confirmed by a board-certified specialist in veterinary cardiology. Post mortem positive microbiological results from valves were obtained in 4 of 7 patients. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was confirmed in 2 cases and Staphylococcus epidermidis was confirmed in 2 cases, one of which included Enterococcus sp. coinfection. Histopathological examination confirmed initial diagnosis in 5 of 7 animals. In the remaining 2 patients, the time elapsed from the onset of clinical symptoms to death was about 1 month and no active inflammation but massive fibrosis was found microscopically. This is, to our best knowledge, the first report of IE and myocarditis diagnosed in small animals using focused cardiac ultrasound examination. Therefore, we conclude that common usage of this technique by trained general veterinarians may increase the rate of diagnosed patients with these conditions.
RESUMEN
The objective of this study was to characterize arterial blood pressure (BP) measurements obtained by using 2 indirect methods, oscillometry and Doppler ultrasonic sphygmomanometry, in conscious goats. Agreement between systolic BP yielded by these 2 methods was then assessed. Sixty female dairy goats aged from 1.5 to 11.8 y (median: 5.5 y) were examined in a standing position with a cuff placed on the tail. All goats had a severe arthritic form of caprine arthritis-encephalitis. Three to 5 repeated measurements of each BP type were averaged for each goat and considered as a final measurement. With oscillometry, systolic blood pressure (O-SBP), diastolic blood pressure, and mean blood pressure, as well as heart rate (HR) were measured, while only systolic blood pressure was measured with Doppler (D-SBP). The O-SBP did not correlate with D-SBP [correlation coefficient (r) = 0.24, P = 0.067]; the mean difference (± standard deviation) was 24.5 ± 26.3 mmHg and limits of agreement were from -27.2 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI): -39.0, -15.4 mmHg] to 76.1 mmHg (95% CI: 64.3, 87.9 mmHg). No significant linear correlation was found between any BPs and HR (r: -0.10 to 0.22) or age (r: -0.26 to 0.07) of the goats. The study showed that, while BP could be measured in conscious goats using both oscillometry and Doppler ultrasonic sphygmomanometry, the results obtained were so inconsistent that these methods could not be used interchangeably.
L'objectif de cette étude était de caractériser les mesures de pression artérielle (PA) obtenues en utilisant deux méthodes indirectes, l>oscillométrie et la sphygmomanométrie à ultrasons Doppler, chez des chèvres conscientes. L'accord entre la PA systolique produite par ces deux méthodes a ensuite été évalué. Soixante chèvres laitières âgées de 1,5 à 11,8 ans (médiane : 5,5 ans) ont été examinées en position debout avec un brassard placé sur la queue. Toutes les chèvres avaient une forme d'arthrite sévère de l'arthrite-encéphalite caprine. La moyenne de trois à cinq mesures répétées de chaque type de PA a été obtenue pour chaque chèvre et était considérée comme une mesure finale. Avec l'oscillométrie, la pression artérielle systolique (O-PAS), la pression artérielle diastolique et la tension artérielle moyenne, ainsi que la fréquence cardiaque (FC) ont été mesurées, seule la pression artérielle systolique a été mesurée par Doppler (D-PAS). L'O-PAS n'a pas de corrélation avec D-PAS [coefficient de corrélation (r) = 0,24, P = 0,067]; la différence moyenne (± écart type) était de 24,5 ± 26,3 mmHg et les limites d'accord étaient de −27,2 mmHg [intervalle de confiance à 95 % (IC) : −39,0, −15,4 mmHg] à 76,1 mmHg (IC à 95 % : 64,3, 87,9 mmHg). Aucune corrélation linéaire significative n'a été trouvée entre les PA et les FC (r : −0,10 à 0,22) ou l'âge (r : −0,26 à 0,07) des chèvres. L'étude a montré que, bien que la PA puisse être mesurée chez des chèvres conscientes en utilisant à la fois l'oscillométrie et la sphygmomanométrie à ultrasons Doppler, les résultats obtenus étaient si incohérents que ces méthodes ne pouvaient pas être utilisées de façon interchangeable.(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).
