Survival characteristics and prognostic importance of echocardiographic measurements of right heart size and function in dogs with pulmonary hypertension

BACKGROUND: The clinical relevance of echocardiographic measurements of right heart size and function in dogs with pulmonary hypertension (PH) is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine if echocardiographic measurements of right heart size and right ventricular (RV) function are associated with survival times in dogs with PH. ANIMALS: Eighty‐two client‐owned dogs. METHODS: Retrospective study where data from medical records and baseline echocardiographic examinations were collected and measured in a standardized manner. Owners or primary veterinarians were contacted for outcome data. RESULTS: Enlargement of the right atrium (88%), RV (69%), and pulmonary artery (72%) was common. One‐third of the cases had reduced RV function quantified by two‐dimensional echocardiography‐derived tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE). Decreased TAPSE was significantly (P = .008) more common in dogs with PH not secondary to left heart disease (LHD; 43%) compared to dogs with PH secondary to LHD (14%) but median survival times (182, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 39‐309 versus 298, 95% CI = 85‐314 days, respectively) were not significantly different (P = .78). Right atrial area (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.58‐4.70), TAPSE < 3.23 mm/kg(0.284) (HR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.28‐3.74), and right heart failure (HR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.18‐3.57) were independently associated with shorter survival time (P ≤ .04). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Right atrial area, RV function (TAPSE < 3.23 mm/kg(0.284)), and right heart failure offer clinically relevant prognostic information in dogs with PH. Results support the quantitative assessment of right heart size and function in dogs with PH.