Assessment of the responsiveness of the Cats' Assessment Tool for Cardiac Health (CATCH) questionnaire

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BackgroundReductions in N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) concentrations after treatment have been associated with improved survival in people with congestive heart failure (CHF), but have not been reported in cats with CHF.ObjectivesTo evaluate changes in NT‐proBNP concentrations in cats with CHF after treatment and determine whether serial NT‐proBNP measurements provide prognostic information.AnimalsThirty‐one client‐owned cats.MethodsProspective, observational study in cats with new onset CHF secondary to cardiomyopathy. Concentrations of NT‐proBNP were measured within 4 hours of admission to the hospital, on the day of discharge, and at re‐evaluation 7–10 days later.ResultsMedian NT‐proBNP concentrations decreased significantly from admission (1,713 pmol/L [range, 160–3,784 pmol/L]) to discharge (902 pmol/L [range, 147–3,223 pmol/L]); P = .005) and from admission to re‐evaluation (1,124 pmol/L [range, 111–2,727 pmol/L]; P = .024). Median survival time was 109 days (range, 1–709 days), with 5 cats still alive at the time of analysis. Cats with a larger percent decrease in NT‐proBNP from admission to discharge had a longer survival time (P = .048). Cats with evidence of active CHF at the time of re‐evaluation (P = .010) and cats whose owners had difficulty administering medications (P = .045) had shorter survival times.Conclusions and clinical importanceCats with a larger percent decrease in NT‐proBNP during hospitalization and no evidence of CHF at the time of re‐evaluation had longer survival times. Additional studies are needed to determine whether NT‐proBNP can help guide treatment in cats with CHF.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Association between Survival Time and Changes inNT‐proBNPin Cats Treated for Congestive Heart Failure

Pierce

Freeman

Cunningham

et al. 2017

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“…On this day, cats received a physical examination, ABP measurement, and echocardiogram. In addition, clients completed a quality of life (QoL) form (modified Cats' Assessment Tool for Cardiac Health 43 [mCATCH] questionnaire) once at completion of the study containing 15 questions reflecting on the treatment period and pertaining to the potential impact of the drug on the cat's QoL on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being no change and 5 being maximum negative effect (see Supplement 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of pimobendan on left atrial transport function in cats

Kochie

Schober

Rhinehart

et al. 2020

Background Arterial thromboembolism is a sequela of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats related to left atrial (LA) enlargement and dysfunction. Hypothesis Pimobendan improves LA transport function in cats. Animals Twenty‐two client‐owned cats with HCM and 11 healthy cats. Methods Prospective, double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled clinical cohort study. Cats were randomized to receive either pimobendan (0.25 mg/kg PO q12h) or placebo for 4 to 7 days. Nineteen echocardiographic variables of LA size and function were evaluated. Statistical comparisons included t tests, analysis of variance, and multivariable analyses. Results Peak velocity of left auricular appendage flow (LAapp peak; mean ± SD, 0.85 ± 0.20 vs 0.71 ± 0.22 m/s; P = .01), maximum LA volume (P = .03), LA total emptying volume (P = .03), peak velocity of late diastolic transmitral flow (A peak velocity; 0.77 ± 0.12 vs 0.62 ± 0.17 m/s; P = .05), and A velocity time integral (A VTI; 3.05 ± 0.69 vs 3.37 ± 0.49; P = .05) were increased after pimobendan. Mean change after pimobendan was larger in cats with HCM compared to healthy cats for LA fractional shortening (2.1% vs −2.1%; P = .05), A VTI (0.58 vs 0.01 cm; P = .01), LAapp peak (0.20 vs 0.02 m/s; P = .02), LA kinetic energy (3.51 vs −0.10 kdynes‐cm; P = .05), and LA ejection force (1.93 vs −0.07 kdynes; P = .01) in the multivariable model. The stronger effect of pimobendan in cats with HCM was independent of LA size. Conclusions and Clinical Importance We identified positive, albeit minor, effects of pimobendan on LA function in cats with HCM. Whether or not treatment with pimobendan decreases the risk of cardiogenic embolism deserves further study.

“…While there are a number of generic hrQoL instruments validated for dogs, 1‐6 cardiac disease has some specific clinical signs and medication‐related issues. Therefore, cardiac‐specific hrQoL instruments that provide a quantitative assessment of owners' perception of their pets' QoL have been developed 7‐9 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, cardiac-specific hrQoL instruments that provide a quantitative assessment of owners' perception of their pets' QoL have been developed. [7][8][9] Assessment of the owners' hrQoL also might provide important information that can impact pets' care. Studies in people have shown that heart failure is associated with a high burden on the caregiver.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation and preliminary data from a health‐related quality of life questionnaire for owners of dogs with cardiac disease

Freeman

Clark

Bulmer³

2020

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Background: Cardiac disease in dogs impacts the quality of life (QoL) of their owners, but owners' QoL has not been comprehensively assessed in this population.Objectives: To develop, validate, and provide preliminary data from a health-related QoL (hrQoL) questionnaire for owners of dogs with cardiac disease.Subjects: A total of 141 owners of dogs with cardiac disease were studied.Methods: An owner hrQoL (O-hrQoL) questionnaire containing 20 items related to areas of a person's life that could be impacted by caring for a dog with cardiac disease was developed and administered to owners of dogs with cardiac disease. The highest possible total score was 100, with higher scores indicating a worse hrQoL. Readability, internal consistency, face and construct validity, and item-total correlations were assessed. Results: Median O-hrQoL score was 35 (range, 0-87). The questionnaire had good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.933), construct validity (Spearman's r = 0.38-0.53; Kendall's τ = 0.30-0.43; P < .001), and item-total correlation (Spearman's r = 0.44-0.79; Kendall's τ = 0.34-0.66; all P < .001). Fifty percent of owners indicated a negative effect of dogs' cardiac disease on their own QoL, but all owners responded that caring for their dogs either had strengthened (n = 76; 53.9%)or had no effect on their relationship with their dog (n = 65; 46.1%). Conclusions and clinical importance:The O-hrQoL questionnaire had good validity, and results suggest that owners' QoL is significantly impacted by caring for dogs with cardiac disease. Additional research on effective approaches to minimizing the negative effects of a dog's cardiac disease on the owner is warranted. K E Y W O R D S cardiac disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, myxomatous mitral valve disease 1 | INTRODUCTION Health-related quality of life (hrQoL) instruments can provide useful information for veterinarians about an animal's clinical signs and efficacy of treatment, as well as serving as an endpoint for clinical trials. While there are a number of generic hrQoL instruments validated for Abbreviations: ACVIM, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine; DCM, dilated cardiomyopathy; DMVD, degenerative mitral valve disease; hrQoL, health-related quality of life; O-hrQoL, owner health-related quality of life; QoL, quality of life.