Diagnostic value of noninvasive pulse pressure measurements in Warmblood horses with aortic regurgitation

Abstract

Background: Noninvasive blood pressures (NIBP) and pulse pressures (PP) have not been published in horses with aortic and mitral regurgitation (AR or MR). Objectives: To investigate NIBP and PP in healthy Warmblood horses and horses with AR and MR and propose PP cutoffs to identify and stage AR severity. Animals: Seventy-three Warmblood horses (healthy, 10; AR, 31; MR, 32). Methods: Retrospective study. All horses had NIBP and an echocardiogram recorded. Cases were categorized based on severity of regurgitation. Pulse pressures were compared among healthy, MR, and AR groups and among AR severity groups. Cutoffs were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. Results: Horses with AR had higher PP than horses with MR (mean difference [95% confidence interval (CI)], +17 [9-26] mm Hg, P < 0.001) and moderate AR (+33 [18-47] mm Hg; P