Vasovagal tonus index in dog with myxomatous mitral valve disease

Abstract

The vasovagal tonus index (VVTI) is a useful and assessable index, obtained from standard ECG recordings, that is used to estimate heart rate variability (HRV), and may provide valuable information regarding the likelihood of progression into congestive heart failure (CHF). In this paperwork, we investigated how the vasovagal tonus index (VVTI) behaves in dogs with naturally-occurring myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) Electrocardiographic (ECG) recordings and echocardiographic data of 120 patients diagnosed with MMVD were reviewed. The VVTI was calculated from twenty consecutive RR intervals for each dog enrolled in the study. Lower VVTI values were found in MMVD patients in American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) stage C compared with stages B1 and B2. Values were also lower in patients with severe cardiac remodeling. When a cut-off value of 6.66 is used, VVTI was able to discriminate MMVD patients in stage C from B1 and B2 dogs with a sensitivity of 70 per cent and a specificity of 77 per cent. MMVD dogs in which VVTI is lower than 6.66 are 30% more likely to develop congestive heart failure (CHF).