New electrocardiographic score to racehorses predicts better cardiovascular physical fitness

• Grant number: 13/15320-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2014
• End date: January 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Alberto Pastore
• Grantee: Carlos Alberto Pastore
• Host Institution: Instituto do Coração Professor Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini (INCOR). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Cássia Fré da Costa ; Nelson Samesima

Abstract

The heart score (HS), responsible for up to 25% of physical fitness, is the mean duration of QRS complex in electrocardiographic leads I, II and III. In equine medicine HS proved its determinance in identifying high performance Thoroughbred horses with superior physical fitness (such as cardiovascular capacity), and to prevent cardiovascular unconditioned horses from suffering fatal accidents (e.g.,sudden cardiac death). The aim is to identify, through electrocardiographic patterns of young Thoroughbred horses, a new heart score which can evaluate physical fitness. Since the methods to obtain the existing HS showed low sensitivity, a new heart score is needed to better predict performance. Since we are dealing with a premature breed (training starts at 2 years old), the Thoroughbred is the perfect model to study the cardiac adaptations to exercise-induced physiological hypertrophy. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DA COSTA, CASSIA FRE; SAMESIMA, NELSON; PASTORE, CARLOS ALBERTO. Cardiac Mean Electrical Axis in Thoroughbreds-Standardization by the Dubois Lead Positioning System. PLoS One, v. 12, n. 1, JAN 17 2017. (13/15320-0)