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Cause of heart murmurs in 57 apparently healthy cats

M J M Dirven1, J M M Cornelissen, M A M Barendse

  • 1Dierenkliniek Rijen, Rijen, The Netherlands. mark.dirven@dierenkliniekrijen.nl

Tijdschrift Voor Diergeneeskunde
|December 15, 2010
PubMed

Insights

In apparently healthy cats, heart murmurs often indicate underlying heart disease, frequently caused by dynamic outflow tract obstruction. Echocardiography is recommended to diagnose the cause of murmurs and confirm heart disease.

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Cardiology
  • Cardiac Auscultation
  • Echocardiography

Background:

  • Heart murmurs arise from turbulent blood flow or cardiac structure vibrations.
  • Causes include structural heart disease or physiological factors.
  • Identifying murmur origins in healthy cats is crucial for disease detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the cause of heart murmurs in apparently healthy adult cats.
  • To assess if heart murmurs reliably indicate heart disease in cats.
  • To correlate auscultation findings with echocardiographic results.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of medical records from January 2008 to December 2009.
  • Inclusion of cats with murmurs detected during physical exams, excluding young or systemically ill cats.
  • Echocardiography (2D, M-mode, Doppler) performed to evaluate cardiac structures and blood flow.

Main Results:

  • Fifty-seven cats were included; all murmurs were systolic.
  • Dynamic outflow tract obstruction (left, right, or combined) caused 79% of murmurs.
  • Heart disease, primarily left ventricular hypertrophy, was present in 88% of cats.

Conclusions:

  • Most heart murmurs in apparently healthy cats stem from dynamic outflow tract obstruction.
  • The presence of a heart murmur in a healthy cat strongly suggests underlying heart disease.
  • Echocardiography is essential for diagnosing the cause of murmurs and identifying heart disease in cats.

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