Exercising arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in horses: Review of the literature and comparative aspects
Corresponding Author
C. Navas de Solis
Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science (Vetsuisse), University of Bern and Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
Texas Veterinary Medical Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA
Correspondence email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
C. Navas de Solis
Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science (Vetsuisse), University of Bern and Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
Texas Veterinary Medical Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA
Correspondence email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorSummary
Arrhythmias are common in equine athletes during and immediately after exercise. Many of these rhythm variations are not clinically relevant. In horses, a link between different exercising arrhythmias and poor performance or between exercising arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) is strongly suspected but not fully understood or proven. SCD during races or competitions is rare, but has catastrophic consequences for the safety of the human partner and public perceptions of welfare during equestrian sports. This review summarises current knowledge of equine exercise arrhythmias and their implications in SCD and compares existing principles and recommendations for equine subjects with those for human athletes.
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