Can cat heart disease be cured? Blood pressure and X-ray examination of cat heart disease! The basic examination of cat heart is to listen to heart sounds, check heart rate, or find out according to the frequency of breathing Abnormalities of the heart can be detected in time. Of course, finding abnormalities is the first step. To further diagnose the disease, methods such as blood pressure measurement, radiological examination, cardiac ultrasound examination and so on are used.

I. Blood pressure check

Blood pressure measurement The method is divided into direct invasive and indirect non-invasive, direct invasive blood pressure measurement is the best method, but it is technically difficult to implement in unsedated cats, and the common side effect is pain or hematoma. The advantage of the non-invasive method is that a slight restraint is enough, and the operation is easy and convenient. Non-invasive methods include auscultation, Doppler, pulse amplitude, and photoplethysmography.

All non-invasive blood pressure tests require the use of an inflatable cuff attached to the extremity to measure the pressure of the cuff through the blood pressure. Use a pressure gauge or pressure sensor to measure, use a pressurized ball to pressurize, and then use a relief valve to release the pressure, and read the scale on the pressure record, but the method of monitoring blood flow is different.

1. Auscultation: place the stethoscope on the artery proximal to the cuff, and hear the blood flow as the inflation pressure gradually drops to the systolic pressure The sound is the systolic blood pressure at this time, but the sound of arterial blood flow in animals is usually small in frequency or amplitude, and the auscultation method is not suitable for cats.

2. Doppler style: The detector is placed on the artery of the wrist, and the amplifier is used to amplify the sound so that the operator can easily hear it The sound of blood flow.

3. Pulse wave amplitude type: because the pressure pulse belt will generate pressure if it detects the pulse until the pulse disappears, and then release the pressure to measure the systolic blood pressure , diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and pulse rate.

4. Photoplethysmography: Calculate the arterial volume by changing the amount of infrared attenuation. It was originally designed to be used on human fingers, so it can be used in On cats under 10 kg.

Photoplethysmography machine is expensive, and the object of use is limited. The auscultation method is difficult to operate and difficult to operate. Therefore, the Doppler method is clinically used. The pulse wave amplitude type is the most common, but the pulse wave amplitude type requires a long measurement time for cats to use and the sound of the machine inflates is difficult for cats to use, but the disadvantage of the Doppler type is in the calculation of diastolic pressure or average pressure. and inaccurate measurements. In the non-invasive measurement method, it is the best choice to recommend Doppler sphygmomanometer as blood pressure measurement.

Second, X-ray diagnosis

When the cat is lying on its side Under the X-ray, the chamber of the right heart tends to be more cephalad and the chamber of the left heart is more caudal because of the slight rotation of the mandrel. The shape of the heart is oval, and the angle is drawn from the trachea branch to the apex to form a line of approximately 45 degrees with the sternum. In cats, the angle decreases with age, probably due to a decrease in the elasticity of the connective tissue with the aorta. related.

The correct body position for cat heart X-ray examination should range from the first rib to the first lumbar vertebra, a complete chest image has been obtained, and the center of the lateral film is aligned with the first lumbar vertebra. In the 4-5 intercostal space, the frontal radiograph is aligned with the border of the scapula. The position of the heart is different on the left and right radiographs. On the left radiograph, the apex of the heart is usually too high by the sternum, and the contact area with the sternum is widened. Mistaken for right heart enlargement. Therefore, the right lateral radiograph is often selected; on the frontal radiograph, the position of the heart may fluctuate slightly downward due to gravity, and the pulmonary blood vessels at the hilum are more obvious during lung ventilation. The shape of the heart is relatively round at the time of the film, and the shape of the heart in the ventral dorsal anteroposterior radiograph is longer, so doctors generally choose a lateral radiograph combined with an anteroposterior radiograph, which is helpful for the diagnosis of heart disease, and sometimes requires bilateral lateral photography. radiographs to clearly assess the condition of the lung fields.