Horse Racing

New Method For Detecting Potentially Fatal Atrial Fibrillation In Horses


Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) is a major cause of stroke in people; the condition, which causes rapid, erratic heartbeats, can be fatal in horses. A new electrocardiogram (ECG) recording technique has been found that can quickly detect the heart condition in horses, which can be difficult to diagnose because it is intermittent.

PAF also occurs in humans; the condition can disrupt blood flow to the upper two chambers of the heart and cause blood clots that can block blood vessels elsewhere in the body, including the brain, which can lead to strokes.

Drs. Vadim Alexeenko, James Fraser, Mark Bowen, Christopher Huang, Celia Marr and Kamalan Jeevaratnam of the University of Surrey obtained ECG recordings from horses that had PAF and those that did not. The scientists then converted the ECG traces to a string of computational numbers using an array of detection algorithms.

They discovered that the ECG results recorded at rest and then processed by the new detection method were statistically different between horses with and without PAF. This enabled the scientists to detect PAF from sinus-rhythm ECGs with a high accuracy rate. The scientists feel this is particularly interesting as the arrhythmia is typically brought on by a high heart rate, but they were able to diagnose it while looking at low heart-rate recordings. This means the horse need not be exercised to diagnose the condition.

Timely detection of the condition allows it to be treated effectively with drugs or electrical stimulation to prevent the formation of clots. This research may move into human studies

Read more at HorseTalk.





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