Cardiac Arrhythmias in the Equine Athlete

Presentation Description / Summary: Cardiac arrhythmias in equine athletes are extremely common and have potentially devastating consequences. Frequently, exercising ECGs are required which are more time consuming and difficult to interpret than resting ECGs. Despite approximately half of racehorses having an arrhythmia during or after exercise, the clinical significance of some of the more common arrhythmias is not always clear. This session will provide a review of the most recent equine arrhythmias research. We will also cover some of the work being done to determine more accurately which horses are at highest risk of developing arrhythmias at exercise.

Learner Outcomes: At the end of this session, audience members will be able to: 1. Describe the major cardiac arrhythmias identified in equine athletes 2. Evaluate some of the most common arrhythmias in equine athletes 3. Recognize the future research that is being done to facilitate identification of equine athletes at high risk of developing clinically significant arrhythmias at exercise.