Intracardiac electrophysiological conduction parameters in adult dogs.
BACKGROUND
Invasive electrophysiology study (EPS) is one of the most important adjunct tests for the evaluation of arrhythmias in human medicine. However, EPS is neither well known nor widely used in veterinary medicine.


OBJECTIVE
To define the values for intracardiac conduction parameters determined during invasive EPS in dogs.


METHODS
The study included 16 admitted dogs of various breeds, sex and ages and 6 control Beagles. In the Beagles, EPS was performed twice at 6-month intervals in order to verify the reproducibility of the results.


RESULTS
No significant differences were found between the results of the baseline and repeated EPS performed in the Beagles. We found retrograde conduction in 13 (59%) out of 22 dogs and including 4 (31%) animals with concomitant 'jumps' in the atrioventricular node conduction curve, pointing to the presence of dual conduction in this node. The mean values of the AV and retrograde VA Wenckebach points equaled to 220 and 360 ms, respectively, suggesting that the capability of the descending route is higher than that of the ascending route.


CONCLUSIONS
The values determined in this study may be helpful in early detection of abnormalities in the electrical conduction system of the heart.
a Department of Internal Medicine and Clinic of Diseases of Horses, Dogs and Cats , Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences , Wroclaw , Poland.
Alicja
A
Cepiel
a Department of Internal Medicine and Clinic of Diseases of Horses, Dogs and Cats , Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences , Wroclaw , Poland.
Agnieszka
A
Noszczyk-Nowak
b Department and Clinic of Internal and Occupational Diseases and Hypertension , Wroclaw Medical University , Wroclaw , Poland.
Robert
R
Pasławski
c Centre for Experimental Diagnostics and Biomedical Innovations , Wroclaw , Poland.
Adrian
A
Janiszewski
a Department of Internal Medicine and Clinic of Diseases of Horses, Dogs and Cats , Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences , Wroclaw , Poland.
Urszula
U
Pasławska
D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004285:Dogs; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
Dog; arrhythmia; canine; conduction system; invasive electrophysiology