title: Relationship between blood calcium level and ST peak interval of electrocardiographic variables in peripartum Holstein cows.
abstract: The association between blood calcium levels and electrocardiographic variables was compared in 137 normal parturient and 36 peripartum recumbent Holstein cows to determine whether hypocalcemia in peripartum dairy cows can be rapidly diagnosed using electrocardiograph. Inverse of STc (ST peak interval/SS interval(0.5)) and blood ionized calcium or serum calcium concentrations were strongly correlated, and both correlation coefficients were 0.81 (P<0.001). The 95% prediction interval indicated that cows with STc >0.385 ± 0.001 sec are very likely to be hypocalcemic (blood ionized or serum calcium concentrations of <0.9 mmol/l or <7.5 mg/dl, respectively). These findings indicate that hypocalcemia in parturient cows can be non-invasively estimated using the STc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawamoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006996:Hypocalcemia / Q000097:blood / Q000662:veterinary*; D010319:Parturient Paresis / Q000097:blood*; D058725:Peripartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium