[Pulsed Doppler echocardiography measurement in healthy warmblood horses]

Twenty adult warm blooded horses (body weight 585 +/- 59 kg) were evaluated with pulsed doppler echocardiography. Locations for the transducer and the sample volume were determined to get typical blood flow tracings of the equine heart. Angle of doppler beam was between 37 degrees and 40 degrees in right heart atrioventricular flow tract and between 44 degrees and 47 degrees in left heart atrioventricular flow tract. Peak blood flow velocity (angle corrected) was 0.71 +/- 0.17 m/s in tricuspid valve and 0.92 +/- 0.22 in mitral valve. In right and left atrioventricular flow tracts in all sample volume positions typical double peaked spectral tracings of blood flow were seen. In supravalvular, valvular and subvalvular sample volume locations of the ventriculoatrial flow tracts angles were between 28 degrees and 33 degrees in right heart and between 34 degrees and 37 degrees in left heart. Peak flow velocity (angle corrected) was 0.98 +/- 0.13 m/s in pulmonary valve and 0.92 +/- 0.09 m/s in aortic valve. Paradoxical systolic and diastolic flows were seen. The flow velocity tracings were similar to those found in man. Flow velocity values of clinically normal horses have a wide range like in healthy human beings. Nevertheless flow tracings of healthy horses have a characteristical profile and may be helpful in detecting abnormal blood flow in heart diseased horses.