CARDIOLOGY
Is This an Important Leak?
Tips on Recognizing and Evaluating Murmurs in the Horse B y
P a u l
B a s i l i o
The equine heart has a great capacity to compen-
sate. Even in the face of considerable cardiovascular disease the horse will find a way to keep plugging away. While that is physiologically impressive, it does pose quite a challenge for a cardiovascular examination in a horse presenting with a murmur and a slight decrease in performance. To help clinicians interpret cardiac findings, Katharyn Jean Mitchell, BVSc, DVCS, DVM, PhD, DAVCIM (LAIM), recently offered helpful tips at the 67th AAEP Conference in Nashville.
“Our physical exam really tells us what's leaking,” said Dr. Mitchell, an assistant professor of large animal medicine at the Cornell University College of Medicine. “We don't need the ultrasound to know what's leaking. We need the ultrasound to tell us the consequences of that leak.” 8
Issue 12/2021 | ModernEquineVet.com
Shutterstock/ SciePro
The initial exam
