Digital phonocardiography in the diagnosis and education of canine cardiac arrhythmias

Abstract

Cardiac auscultation is an important part of the physical examination in both human and veterinary medicine. Not only is it safe, cheap, and quick to perform, but it can also indicate other, more advanced diagnostic imaging methods, such as echocardiography, electrocardiography, and thoracic radiography. However, with the ever-increasing accessibility of these diagnostic imaging methods, both the clinical use and education of cardiac auscultation is on the decline – even despite several publications demonstrating diseases that cannot be effectively diagnosed without this examination method.