Key result
Pleural fluid protein ≤3 g/dL linked to cardiac disease in cats with ~93% specificity.
Why the study?
Definitive diagnosis of feline cardiac disease by echocardiography is limited in some areas, necessitating alternative diagnostic indicators from pleural fluid analysis.
Observational (n=61)
No
Absolute Event Rate: 3.6% vs 4.4%
p-value: p=0.012
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cardiac disease is common in cats, and concurrent pleural effusion can worsen the prognosis. However, the definitive diagnosis of feline cardiac disease by echocardiography is limited in some areas. This study was designed to determine the indicators from fluid analysis obtained from pleural effusion to help diagnose cardiac disease in cats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted. Data of 61 cats with pleural effusion were retrieved. The cats were divided into two groups: Cardiac disease (n=34) and non-cardiac disease (n=27) groups. Sex, neuter status, breed, age, weight, physical findings, fluid analysis results, radiographic findings, echocardiographic findings, and the presence of other diseases or conditions were recorded. RESULTS: The Chi-square test showed the relationship between cardiac disease and the presence of abnormal heart sounds (p=0.0003), the N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide-positive result from serum samples (p=0.046), the presence of arterial thromboembolism (p<0.00001), and the presence of radiographic evidence of cardiomegaly and pulmonary edema (p=0.0002 and 0.001, respectively). The Mann-Whitney U-test showed a significant difference in protein concentration and specific gravity between the cardiac and non-cardiac disease groups (p=0.012 and 0.009, respectively). The decision tree classification method showed that protein concentrations of ≤3 g/dL were related to cardiac disease (sensitivity, 41.2% and specificity, 92.6%). CONCLUSION: The protein concentration in the pleural fluid may be used to distinguish cardiac and non-cardiac diseases in cats.
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Chobsuk et al. (2021) conducted an observational in Pleural effusion (n=61). Pleural fluid protein concentration vs. Non-cardiac causes of pleural effusion was evaluated on Median pleural fluid protein concentration (g/dL) (p=0.012). A pleural fluid protein concentration of ≤3 g/dL was associated with cardiac disease in cats, providing a sensitivity of 41.2% and a specificity of 92.6% for differentiating cardiac from non-cardiac etiologies.
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