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BackgroundAlthough human studies have shown that inflammation plays a role in the development of congestive heart failure, scarce information exists on white blood cell count (WBC) and differential cell counts in various stages of heart failure in man and dogs. A few studies demonstrated increased concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), a major acute-phase protein, in cardiac diseases in dogs. Our research aimed to investigate whether CRP concentration, WBC and neutrophil count (NEUT), as markers of systemic inflammation, are elevated in canine cardiovascular patients. We also aimed to find out whether there is an association between CRP concentration and WBC and NEUT, as well as associations between these inflammatory markers and selected echocardiographic parameters. Sixty-two client-owned canine cardiac patients and 12 healthy dogs were included in the study. The patients were classified into International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council classes (ISACHC I–III). The serum CRP concentration was determined using a canine CRP test kit. WBC and NEUT were determined using an automated hematology analyzer.ResultsSignificantly higher serum CRP concentration, WBC and NEUT were found in the decompensated stage of heart failure (ISACHC III) compared with healthy dogs and with patients in ISACHC group II and ISACHC group I. Serum CRP concentration significantly positively correlated with WBC (r = 0.65, P < 0.001) and NEUT (r = 0.58, P = 0.002) in the ISACHC III group, while no significant correlations were found in the ISACHC I and II groups. A significant negative correlation between serum CRP concentration and the left ventricular ejection fraction (r = − 0.49, P = 0.046) and a significant positive correlation between CRP and the E wave velocity of the mitral valve inflow (r = 0.52, P = 0.046) were found in the ISACHC III group.ConclusionsThe CRP concentration, WBC and NEUT were significantly increased in advanced-stage heart failure patients in comparison with compensated patients and healthy dogs, which indicate the presence of systemic inflammation. However, normal CRP concentration and normal WBC and NEUT can also be present in heart failure.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13028-018-0372-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Indirect blood pressure measurements using high definition oscillometric (HDO) and Doppler devices were compared in 50 anaesthetised client-owned cats presented for various surgical procedures. Sites of cuff placement for Doppler were identified as forelimb and hindlimb and for HDO as forelimb and tail. Oscillometric and Doppler readings were obtained in 90.05% and 100% of attempts, respectively. Both devices enabled precise measurement of systolic arterial pressure (SAP), although the Doppler device gave higher precision. In the low pressure group (SAP<100 mmHg; n=30), 66.7% biases were within 10 mmHg of discrepancy, but in groups of normal (100 mmHg ≤ SAP ≤ 150 mmHg; n=120) and high measurements (SAP>150 mmHg; n=62), 86.7% and 75.0% of discrepancy, respectively, were lower than 10 mmHg. Frequency of discrepancy at the range of 15 mmHg showed similar differences between pressure groups. There were significantly higher discrepancies when the cuff was positioned on the tail rather than on the leg. The SAP value obtained by HDO can be calculated from the Doppler measurement from SAP (HDO)=0.8515 × SAP (Doppler)+19.221 mmHg. Compared to Doppler, HDO overestimated low pressure and underestimated high pressure values.

Background Inflammation and oxidative stress can contribute to the development and progression of heart failure. This study aimed to investigate the association between inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF). Associations between the disease severity marker N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress were also determined. Results Thirty-seven dogs with cardiovascular diseases (dilated cardiomyopathy, DCM (16 dogs), myxomatous mitral valve disease, MMVD (21 dogs)) and ten healthy dogs were included in this prospective study. The patients were further divided into groups with (26) and without CHF (11). We found a significantly higher serum concentration of C-reactive protein (P = 0.012), white blood cell (P = 0.001), neutrophil (P = 0.001) and monocyte counts (P = 0.001) in patients with CHF compared to control dogs. The concentration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was significantly higher in patients with CHF compared to patients without CHF (P = 0.030). No significant difference was found in most of the measured parameters between MMVD and DCM patients, except for glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and NT-proBNP. In patients with CHF, TNF-α correlated positively with malondialdehyde (P = 0.014, r = 0.474) and negatively with GPX (P = 0.026, r = − 0.453), and interleukin-6 correlated negatively with GPX (P = 0.046, r = − 0.412). NT-proBNP correlated positively with malondialdehyde (P = 0.011, r = 0.493). In patients without CHF none of the inflammatory and oxidative stress markers correlated significantly. Furthermore, in the group of all cardiac patients, GPX activity significantly negatively correlated with NT-proBNP (P = 0.050, r = − 0.339) and several markers of inflammation, including TNF-α (P = 0.010, r = − 0.436), interleukin-6 (P = 0.026, r = − 0.382), white blood cell (P = 0.032, r = − 0.369), neutrophil (P = 0.027, r = − 0.379) and monocyte counts (P = 0.024, r = − 0.386). Conclusion Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers are linked in canine CHF patients, but not in patients without CHF. These results suggest complex cross communication between the two biological pathways in advanced stages of CHF.