Heart rate variability in Doberman

Abstract

Purposes: to study the daily rhythms of the heart rate in 20 healthy Doberman dogs; obtaining reference values of time indicators of heart rate variability; study and determination of the type, identification of the predominance of the electrocardiological syndrome in this group of animals.

Materials and methods. Due to the high prevalence of the disease: dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Dobermans and a high risk of sudden death associated with the development of ventricular tachycardia, we conducted a study of heart rate variability in 20 clinically healthy Doberman dogs in order to study the electrical activity of the heart, heart rate variability, identify reference values of HRVi  parameters, to study and determine the prevalence of which electrocardiological syndrome in this group of animals. The study of circadian rhythm was carried out using 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring on an outpatient basis.

Results. When analyzing the daily fluctuations of the intervalogram for every 2 hours, it was found that the maximum heart rate of 90 beats/min is in the range of 16:00–18:00, the minimum is 71 beats/min in the range of 4:00–6:00. Received temporal parameters of heart rate variability. It was registered that the parameters responsible for the general autonomic tone (SDNN, SDANN, HRVi) are higher during the daytime. Parameters indicating high frequency variation and tone of the parasympathetic nervous system (SDNN, rMSSD, SDSD) are higher at night. The predominance of normocardial syndrome in Doberman breed dogs was established during the assessment of the daily intervalogram.