Factors affecting the mean electrical axis of the heart in trained Thoroughbreds

IF 0.8 4区农林科学 Q3 VETERINARY SCIENCES

Equine Veterinary Education Pub Date : 2025-01-02 DOI:10.1111/eve.14094

M. Felici, P. Pratelli, A. Gazzano, F. Cecchi, G. Incastrone, N. Bernabò, P. Baragli

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Assuming that the ventricular myocardium of horses is subjected to exercise-induced hypertrophy, we hypothesised that the mean electrical axis (MEA) of the heart would change.

Objectives

To define a longitudinal study to detect any changes in the direction of the MEA in Thoroughbred horses using ECG.

Study design

ECGs were recorded on each horse in each training group at day 0 (T0), 1 month (T1) and 2 months (T2) of training.

Methods

A total of 43 Thoroughbred horses in training in Italy were recruited. The horses were divided into three groups according to age. The ECGs were recorded by positioning the electrodes according to Dubois's method for measuring MEA in the frontal plane. Intervals with artefact-free QRS complexes in both bipolar DI and augmented unipolar aVF leads were selected, and the vector obtained was identified as the MEA. The statistical analysis was performed via generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) and principal component analysis (PCA).

Results

A statistically significant effect of time passing between T0 and T2 (p < 0.001) and an interaction between time and sex on the MEA was found (p = 0.04). PCA revealed that the population studied had different patterns, with three horses showing higher variability in the MEA direction.

Main limitations

There was no good sex balance in the age groups of the population studied, and there was no control group. The 1-month sampling intervals of ECGs may have been too short. Confirmatory studies are needed.

Conclusions

We believe that our results are the first to suggest that training may lead to changes in MEA orientation in horses. Sex and individuality were found to influence MEA orientation and may have contributed to the difficulty in detecting training-dependent changes in MEA to date.

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影响训练纯种马心脏平均电轴的因素

假设马的心室心肌受到运动诱导的肥大，我们假设心脏的平均电轴（MEA）会发生变化。目的建立一种纵向研究方法，利用ECG检测纯种马MEA方向的变化。研究设计在训练第0天（T0）、第1个月（T1）和第2个月（T2）记录各组每匹马的心电图。方法选取43匹在意大利训练的纯种马。马按年龄分成三组。根据杜波依斯在额平面测量MEA的方法定位电极，记录心电图。在双极DI和增强单极aVF引线中选择无伪影QRS复合物的间隔，并将得到的矢量识别为MEA。通过广义线性混合模型（GLMM）和主成分分析（PCA）进行统计分析。结果T0和T2之间的时间流逝对MEA有显著的影响（p < 0.001），时间和性别对MEA有交互作用（p = 0.04）。主成分分析显示，研究的种群具有不同的模式，其中三匹马在主成分分析方向上表现出更高的变异性。研究人群各年龄组性别不平衡，也没有对照组。1个月的心电图取样间隔可能太短。需要进行确证性研究。我们认为我们的结果是第一个表明训练可能导致马的MEA取向改变的结果。发现性别和个性影响多边环境协定的倾向，并可能导致迄今难以发现多边环境协定中与培训有关的变化。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Equine Veterinary Education 农林科学-兽医学

CiteScore

2.40

自引率

22.20%

发文量

132

审稿时长

18-36 weeks

期刊介绍： Equine Veterinary Education (EVE) is the official journal of post-graduate education of both the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). Equine Veterinary Education is a monthly, peer-reviewed, subscription-based journal, integrating clinical research papers, review articles and case reports from international sources, covering all aspects of medicine and surgery relating to equids. These papers facilitate the dissemination and implementation of new ideas and techniques relating to clinical veterinary practice, with the ultimate aim of promoting best practice. New developments are placed in perspective, encompassing new concepts and peer commentary. The target audience is veterinarians primarily engaged in the practise of equine medicine and surgery. The educational value of a submitted article is one of the most important criteria that are assessed when deciding whether to accept it for publication. Articles do not necessarily need to contain original or novel information but we welcome submission of this material. The educational value of an article may relate to articles published with it (e.g. a Case Report may not have direct educational value but an associated Clinical Commentary or Review Article published alongside it will enhance the educational value).