Abstract
Objective—To determine whether serum concentrations of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) are increased in dogs with gastric dilatationvolvulus (GDV) and whether concentrations correlate with severity of ECG abnormalities or outcome.
Design—Prospective case series.
Animals—85 dogs with GDV.
Procedure—Serum cTnI and cTnT concentrations were measured 12 to 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after surgery. Dogs were grouped on the basis of severity of ECG abnormalities and outcome.
Results—cTnI and cTnT were detected in serum from 74 (87%) and 43 (51%) dogs, respectively. Concentrations were significantly different among groups when dogs were grouped on the basis of severity of ECG abnormalities (none or mild vs moderate vs severe). Dogs that died (n = 16) had significantly higher serum cTnI (24.9 ng/ml) and cTnT (0.18 ng/ml) concentrations than did dogs that survived (2.05 and < 0.01 ng/ml, respectively). Myocardial cell injury was confirmed at necropsy in 4 dogs with high serum cardiac troponin concentrations.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results indicate that concentrations of cTnI and cTnT suggestive of myocardial cell injury can commonly be found in serum from dogs with GDV and that serum cardiac troponin concentrations are associated with severity of ECG abnormalities and outcome. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002;221:381–388)
