The use of cardiac biomarkers in dogs and cats

Abstract

Cardiac biomarkers can be helpful in differentiating cardiac from non-cardiac disease in dyspnoeic patients; in detecting occult heart disease; and in determining prognosis in patients with both cardiac and some non-cardiac diseases. Cardiac troponin I and N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide are the cardiac biomarkers most widely used in clinical practice and can easily be measured from a blood sample. However, there are limitations in their use, and appropriate interpretation of results is important. This article discusses the physiology of these biomarkers and the evidence available for their use in dogs and cats.