Key result
Boxer dogs affected by ARVC had significantly lower heart rate variability parameters, such as SDNNlog (2.35 vs. 2.46, P=0.01), compared to unaffected dogs, independent of arrhythmia severity.
Why the study?
Does heart rate variability differ in Boxer dogs affected by arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy compared to unaffected dogs?
Case-Control (n=42)
Does heart rate variability differ in Boxer dogs affected by arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy compared to unaffected dogs?
p-value: p=0.01
Heart rate variability is significantly reduced in Boxer dogs affected by ARVC compared to unaffected dogs, and this reduction is not merely a consequence of low cardiac output from ventricular arrhythmias.
Reduced HRV is associated with ARVC in Boxers; leaves open diagnostic or prognostic utility pending prospective validation.
The aim of the present study was to assess heart rate variability (HRV) in Boxer dogs affected by arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Fourteen Boxer dogs classified as affected and 28 classified as unaffected were included in a prospective case-control study. Dogs underwent 24-hour ambulatory ECG and were classified as affected (>1,000 VPCs/24 hours) or unaffected (<20 VPCs/24 hours) by ARVC based on the number of ventricular arrhythmias. HRV was assessed using 24-h Holter ECG monitoring; the studied parameters were SDNN, SDANN, SDNNIDX, rMSSD and pNN50. Data were submitted to logarithmic transformation and HRV parameters were compared between groups and correlated according to the disease status, number and severity of ventricular arrhythmias using Student’s t test, linear regression and Spearman’s test. There was no interaction between the HRV parameters and the number and severity of ventricular arrhythmias. SDNNlog (2.35±0.14 vs. 2.46±0.12, P=0.01), SDNNIDXlog (2.18±0.14 vs. 2.24±0.10, P=0.002) and pNN50log (1.47±0.19 vs. 1.64±0.13, P=0.002) were significantly lower in the affected group compared with the unaffected. According to this study, HRV are different in a population of Boxers dogs affected by ARVC compared to a population of unaffected dogs, and these differences are not consequences of low cardiac output caused by ventricular arrhythmias since animals that had higher number and complexity of arrhythmias were not those who had lower values of HRV.
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Zacché et al. (2017) conducted a case-control in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) (n=42). ARVC affected status vs. Unaffected status was evaluated on Heart rate variability (HRV) parameters including SDNN, SDANN, SDNNIDX, rMSSD and pNN50 (p=0.01). Boxer dogs affected by ARVC had significantly lower heart rate variability parameters, such as SDNNlog (2.35 vs. 2.46, P=0.01), compared to unaffected dogs, independent of arrhythmia severity.
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