Myocardial Injury in Dogs: a Retrospective Analysis on Etiological, Echocardiographic, Electrocardiographic, Therapeutic, and Outcome Findings in 102 Cases

Introduction/ObjectiveIn dogs, myocardial injury (MI) is a poorly characterized clinical entity; therefore, this study aimed to provide a detailed description of dogs affected by this condition.Animals, Materials, and MethodsDogs diagnosed with MI according to the concentration of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were retrospectively searched. Signalment, diagnostic, therapeutic, and outcome data were retrieved. Dogs were divided in six echocardiographic (dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype with systolic dysfunction; abnormal echogenicity only; endocarditis; and no echocardiographic abnormalities suggestive of MI), four electrocardiographic (abnormalities of impulse formation; abnormalities of impulse conduction; abnormalities of ventricular repolarization; and no electrocardiographic abnormalities suggestive of MI), and nine etiological (infective; inflammatory; neoplastic; metabolic; toxic; nutritional; immune-mediated; traumatic/mechanical; and unknown) categories. Statistical analysis was performed to compare cTnI values among different categories and analyze survival.ResultsOne hundred and two dogs were included. The median cTnI value was 3.71 ng/mL (0.2–180 ng/mL). Echocardiographic and electrocardiographic abnormalities were documented in 86/102 and 89/102 dogs, respectively. Among echocardiographic and electrocardiographic categories, the dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype (n=52) and abnormalities of impulse formation (n=67) were overrepresented, respectively. Among dogs in which a suspected etiological trigger was identified (68/102), the infective category was overrepresented (n=20). Among dogs belonging to different echocardiographic, electrocardiographic and etiological categories, cTnI did not differ significantly. The median survival time was 603 days; only 8/102 dogs died due to MI.ConclusionsDogs with MI often have an identifiable suspected trigger, show various echocardiographic and electrocardiographic abnormalities, and frequently survive to MI-related complications.