Open AccessPrevalence of sudden cardiac death in dogs with atrial fibrillation
Author(s) -
Borgeat Kieran,
Pack Matthew,
Harris Jo,
Laver Alex,
Seo Joonbum,
Belachsen Omri,
Hannabuss Joshua,
Todd Julie,
Ferasin Luca,
Payne Jessie Rose
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of veterinary internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1939-1676
pISSN - 0891-6640
DOI - 10.1111/jvim.16297
Subject(s) - medicine , atrial fibrillation , cardiology , sinus rhythm , logistic regression , sudden cardiac death , retrospective cohort study
Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in humans, independent of secondary risk factors such as thrombogenic disorders. In dogs, SCD is described in a number of heart diseases, but an association between AF and SCD is unreported. Hypothesis (a) A higher proportion of dogs with AF will experience SCD, and (b) SCD will be associated with complex ventricular arrhythmias. Animals One‐hundred forty‐two dogs with AF, and 127 dogs without AF. Methods Retrospective, multicenter, case‐control study. Dogs included in the AF group were compared to a control group of dogs in sinus rhythm, matched for echocardiographic diagnosis. Descriptive statistics were used to identify proportions of each group suffering SCD, compared using chi‐squared testing. Risk factors for SCD in dogs with AF were evaluated at the univariable and multivariable level using binary logistic regression. Significance was P < .05. Results A significantly higher proportion of dogs with AF suffered SCD than dogs in the control group (14.8% vs 5.5%; P = .01). Younger age at diagnosis, larger left atrial size, and a history of syncope all were independent predictors of SCD in dogs with AF ( χ 2 , 16.3; P = .04). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Atrial fibrillation was associated with a higher prevalence of SCD in dogs. A history of syncope may be a useful predictor of SCD risk.