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A good diagnostic accuracy of smartphone-based electrocardiography in the evaluation of heart rate, heart rhythm and ECG measurements has been reported in humans, dogs and cats. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of smartphone-based electrocardiography in horses. Fifty healthy adult horses were enrolled. Standard base-apex ECG and smartphone ECG were simultaneously recorded in each horse. All ECGs were reviewed by one blinded operator, who judged whether tracings were acceptable for interpretation and performed electrocardiographic measurements. Agreement between smartphone and standard base-apex ECG in the analysis of tracings was evaluated. Smartphone ECG tracings were interpretable in 48/50 (96%) cases. A perfect agreement between smartphone and standard ECG tracings was found in the assessment of heart rate. Heart rate automatically measured by the smartphone application was not reliable. In terms of electrocardiographic waves and interval duration, minimal differences of no clinical value were found between smartphone and standard ECG. Agreement was found for QRS complex polarity evaluation, but not for P wave polarity. Baseline artefacts were rare but significantly higher in the smartphone ECG tracings compared to standard ECG. The smartphone ECG can record single-lead ECG tracings of an adequate quality for interpretation in horses. The smartphone ECG could represent an additional tool for the electrocardiographic evaluation of horses, but is not a substitute for the standard base-apex ECG.

Background There is good diagnostic accuracy of smartphone‐based ECG in the evaluation of heart rate (HR), heart rhythm, and ECG values for humans, horses, dogs, and cats. Objectives Assess feasibility and reliability of a smartphone ECG device to evaluate HR expressed as beats per minute and ECG values in cows. Animals Fifty‐five healthy Holstein Friesian cows. Methods Prospective observational study. A standard base‐apex ECG was acquired for 60 seconds in each cow. A smartphone ECG tracing was recorded simultaneously using a single‐lead bipolar ECG recorder. All ECGs were reviewed by 1 blinded investigator. The following ECG variables were assessed: HR, P wave duration, PR interval, QRS complex and QT interval (milliseconds), P wave, and QRS complex polarity. Agreement between standard and smartphone ECG was evaluated by Cohen's k test and the Bland‐Altman test. Results Smartphone ECG tracings were interpretable in 89% of the recordings. Minimal differences of no clinical relevance were found between standard and smartphone ECG tracings regarding HR and duration of ECG waves and interval. Good agreement found in the evaluation of QRS complex polarity (85%) but not for P wave polarity (k = 0.006). Artifacts were rare but of significantly higher frequency in smartphone ECG compared to standard ECG tracings (22% versus 0%; P = .005). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Good quality single‐lead ECG tracings can be recorded by smartphone device in healthy cows. Smartphone tracings are reliable for evaluation of HR and selective ECG variables. Smartphone ECG can represent an additional tool for ECG screening in cows.

BackgroundThe diseases most frequent associated with SIRS in adult horses are those involving the gastrointestinal tract. An early diagnosis should be the goal in the management of horses with SIRS.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the plasma procalcitonin (PCT) concentration in healthy and SIRS horses to assess differences between the two groups.AnimalsSeventy‐eight horses (30 healthy and 48 SIRS).MethodsProspective in vivo multicentric study. Horses were classified as SIRS if at least 2 of the following criteria were met: abnormal leukocyte count or distribution, hyperthermia or hypothermia, tachycardia, tachypnea. Healthy horses showed no clinical or laboratory signs of SIRS. Plasma PCT concentrations were measured with a commercial ELISA assay for equine species. Results were expressed as mean±standard deviation. T‐test for unpaired data was performed between healthy and SIRS group. SIRS group was divided in 4 subgroups and t‐test was performed between healthy versus each subgroup.Results PCT concentrations in healthy and SIRS horses were 18.28 ± 20.32 and 197.0 ± 117.0 pg/mL, respectively. T‐test showed statistical differences between healthy versus SIRS group and between healthy versus all subgroups.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceResults showed an increase in PCT concentration in SIRS horses as previously reported in humans and dogs. PCT could be used as a single assay in equine practice for detection of SIRS.

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BackgroundNeonatal calf diarrhea is generally caused by infectious agents and is a very common disease in bovine practice, leading to substantial economic losses. Tannins are known for their astringent and anti-inflammatory properties in the gastro-enteric tract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the oral administration of chestnut tannins (Castanea sativa Mill.) in order to reduce the duration of calf neonatal diarrhea. Twenty-four Italian Friesian calves affected by neonatal diarrhea were included. The duration of the diarrheic episode (DDE) was recorded and the animals were divided into a control group (C), which received Effydral® in 2 l of warm water, and a tannin-treated group (T), which received Effydral® in 2 l of warm water plus 10 g of extract of chestnut tannins powder. A Mann-Whitney test was performed to verify differences for the DDE values between the two groups.ResultsThe DDE was significantly higher in group C than in group T (p = 0.02), resulting in 10.1 ± 3.2 and 6.6 ± 3.8 days, respectively.ConclusionsPhytotherapic treatments for various diseases have become more common both in human and in veterinary medicine, in order to reduce the presence of antibiotic molecules in the food chain and in the environment. Administration of tannins in calves with diarrhea seemed to shorten the DDE in T by almost 4 days compared to C, suggesting an effective astringent action of chestnut tannins in the calf, as already reported in humans. The use of chestnut tannins in calves could represent an effective, low-impact treatment for neonatal diarrhea.

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