Electrocardiographic Changes in a Horse with Induced Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

During acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the ischemia and necrosis of the infarcted tissue result in local electrophysiological changes, which bring about deviations of the ST segment and T wave. In this case report, the aim was to investigate whether these changes could be detected with a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) during acute occlusion of the coronary artery in a 15-year-old Standardbred mare (scheduled for euthanasia due to non-cardiac health problems). The left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery was occluded using an angioplasty balloon catheter guided through the carotid artery. Two coronary occlusions of 30 min were induced, separated by a 10-min reperfusion phase. AMI led to ST deviations and T-wave amplitude changes (maximum ST deviation was 1.98 mV; T-wave amplitude increased from 6.58 to 9.25 mV). The ST segment almost returned to the baseline during the reperfusion phase. The ECG changes seen after the infarction were comparable to those reported in other species with AMI, suggesting that the 12-lead-ECG can potentially be used to detect signs of myocardial infarction in horses.

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“…A case report involving a horse subjected to experimental coronary artery occlusion suggested that the use of a 12-lead ECG allowed for the observation of typical changes associated with myocardial infarction. 21 Considering this potential applicability, the use of a 12-lead ECG could have been contemplated in our context.…”

“…While Holter monitoring primarily focuses on rhythm and rate disturbances, the 12‐lead ECG is designed to identify cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial ischaemia in human medicine. A case report involving a horse subjected to experimental coronary artery occlusion suggested that the use of a 12‐lead ECG allowed for the observation of typical changes associated with myocardial infarction 21 . Considering this potential applicability, the use of a 12‐lead ECG could have been contemplated in our context.…”