The comparative practical efficiency of short-term electrocardiography and 24-hour Holter monitoring for evaluating the cardiac electrical activity of horses

Sa？etak Assessing equine cardiac electrical activities is essential during a clinical examination of the cardiovascular system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate this activity by two methods to find the more reliable technique in this regard. Hence, standard electrocardiography (for 30 minutes) and Holter monitoring (for 24 hours) were recorded in 20 adult clinically healthy horses. Various parameters of the recorded waves, such as P-R, Q-T and R-R intervals, S-T and P-R segments, P, R, S, and T amplitudes and heart rate, were evaluated. The presence of various arrhythmias was also assessed. All the parameters studied by Holter monitoring were significantly different from standard electrocardiography, except P-R and Q-T intervals and heart rate. Sinus arrhythmia and first and second degree atriventricular blocks were detected by both methods, but a sino-atrial block was present on Holter monitoring. Furthermore, the distribution of cardiac arrhythmias in Holter monitoring was greater than with standard electrocardiography. On the basis of the results of the current research, prolonged Holter monitoring may be considered to be the more reliable method to evaluate the cardiac electrical activity of horses