Comparison of single versus seven-day Holter analysis for the identification of dilated cardiomyopathy predictive criteria in apparently healthy Doberman Pinscher dogs

Abstract Introduction The primary objective of this study was to test whether seven-day Holter recording improves the sensitivity of detecting dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) predictive criteria (DCMp) compared to 24-hour Holter in asymptomatic Dobermans Pinschers (DP). Animals 28 asymptomatic DP with normal echocardiographic examinations. Methods Dogs with normal echocardiographic examinations underwent seven-day Holter monitoring. The presence of ≥ 50 ventricular premature complexes and or ≥ one couplet/one triplet/one episode of ventricular tachycardia per 24-hour period was considered positive for DCMp. Results Five dogs were positive on the first day and an additional six dogs tested positive from days two to seven of the Holter recording. The number of positive dogs detected by four days was significantly different (p = 0.031) compared to the first day Holter. Conclusions Seven-day Holter recording detected significantly more dogs with DCMp compared to the first day Holter. Follow up studies are warranted to evaluate the long-term accuracy of multiple-day Holter analysis in predicting the development of DCM in DP.