Alterations in the large peripheral circulation in dogs with heart failure

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Cardiology
• Canine Physiology
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• The femoral artery supplies blood to major leg muscles, crucial for exercise.
• Exercise intolerance is a common symptom in dogs with heart failure.
• Peripheral hemodynamics can be affected by cardiac disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate femoral artery blood flow using transcutaneous duplex Doppler ultrasonography (TDU).
• To compare TDU measurements between healthy dogs and dogs with spontaneous heart failure.
• To assess the impact of heart failure severity on peripheral circulation.

Main Methods:

• Transcutaneous duplex Doppler ultrasonography (TDU) was performed on 50 healthy dogs and 50 dogs with heart failure.
• Measurements included peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocities (EDV, EnDV), mean velocity (MV), pulsatility index (PI), resistivity index (RI), and femoral flow volume (FFV).
• Dogs with heart failure were categorized by functional class.

Main Results:

• Healthy dogs exhibited significantly higher PSV and FFV compared to dogs with heart disease.
• Femoral flow volume (FFV) was substantially reduced in dogs with moderate and severe heart failure.
• TDU successfully detected and quantified peripheral hemodynamic changes.

Conclusions:

• Transcutaneous duplex Doppler ultrasonography is a valuable non-invasive tool for assessing peripheral hemodynamics in dogs.
• Reduced femoral artery blood flow is associated with canine heart failure, particularly in advanced stages.
• TDU can aid in the diagnosis and management of exercise intolerance linked to cardiac conditions in dogs.