Busan Cat Cardiac Ultrasound Precision Examination — Dae-Yeon-Dong 24H UN animal medical center Cardiac & Renal Center Guide
Author: Yeo Jae-seung, Chief Director (Chief Director of 24H UN animal medical center, Director of Companion Animal Cardiac & Renal Center, Chief of Internal Medicine at 24H UN animal medical center) This content has been prepared in compliance with relevant laws including the Medical Service Act.
📋 Three Key Points of This Article
— Cat cardiac ultrasound (echo) is a critical precision examination for early detection of HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). — Cats can develop cardiac disease without heart murmurs, so examinations are recommended regardless of symptom presence. — At Dae-Yeon-Dong 24H UN animal medical center Cardiac & Renal Center in Busan, you can receive cardiac-specialized consultation and ultrasound examination together.
Where Should You Go for a Precise Feline Cardiac Ultrasound in Busan?
Feline cardiac ultrasound, or cardiac echo examination, is essentially the only precise diagnostic tool for confirming HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). According to clinical data, HCM, which accounts for approximately 60% of feline cardiac disease, progresses in an asymptomatic state for extended periods, making it difficult for guardians to notice abnormalities on the surface.
In particular, unlike dogs, cats may show no heart murmurs upon auscultation while cardiac disease has already progressed significantly—a pattern confirmed in clinical practice. This means that auscultation alone is insufficient for obtaining adequate information. For this reason, cardiac ultrasound examination is recommended to directly assess myocardial status, whether before symptoms appear or even when auscultation reveals no abnormal findings.
Quick Summary — "No heart murmur = No cardiac abnormality" may not apply to cats. — Cardiac ultrasound (echo) examination is the essential tool for early HCM detection.
What Is Feline Cardiac Ultrasound Examination and When Is It Needed?
Cardiac ultrasound is an examination that measures myocardial thickness, blood flow, pressure within the ventricle, and cardiac wall contractility in real-time numerical values (see Bi My Pet Life). Because it is not merely image capture but functional assessment of the heart in numerical form, it is employed as the gold standard in cardiac diagnosis in veterinary clinical practice.
According to Daily Vet Veterinary Clinical Seminar Materials, HCM is confirmed when diastolic ventricular wall thickness exceeds 6mm, and concurrent assessment of left atrial size improves accuracy of prognosis prediction. Atrial size measurement serves as important evidence for evaluating thrombosis risk and likelihood of heart failure progression.
Regarding examination timing, Bi My Pet Life recommends periodic examination for predisposed breeds, and Daily Vet explains that HCM can occur in young cats, requiring periodic screening across all age groups.
You can check breed and age-specific recommended examination timing by referring to the table below.
| Category | Target | Recommended Screening Start Age | Examination Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Predisposed breeds | Maine Coons, Ragdolls, Sphynx, British Shorthairs, etc. | From 1-2 years of age | At least once per year recommended |
| General adult cats | Breed-independent, 3 years and older | After entering adulthood | Include in routine checkups 1-2 times per year |
| Elderly cats | Senior cats 8 years and older | Already reached recommended timing | 6-month to 1-year interval |
| Suspected abnormal findings | Cough, respiratory changes, decreased activity, etc. | Immediately upon symptom onset | Per veterinarian judgment |
Feline Cardiac Ultrasound Care System at 24H UN animal medical center Cardiac & Renal Center
24H UN animal medical center Cardiac & Renal Center operates under the principle of companion animal customized care, with medical staff possessing internal medicine specialization experience linking cardiac ultrasound examination through to subsequent chronic disease long-term management in a continuous flow.
Rather than ending with a single examination, cardiac ultrasound findings and internal medicine interpretation and treatment planning can be connected within the same visit—this is possible because of the sub-specialty collaborative consultation system supported by eight specialized centers. The structure leads from examination results through collaborative consultation with the internal medicine center or establishment of long-term chronic cardiac disease management plans.
The progression of feline cardiac ultrasound examination is as follows:
— Step 1. Initial Consultation and Auscultation/Basic Physical Examination: Proceed with guardian history-taking (symptoms, medication use, breed and age confirmation) along with basic physical examination — Step 2. Screening Examination Selection: Determine need for cardiac ultrasound through NT-proBNP blood biomarker examination or thoracic radiographic examination as primary assessment — Step 3. Cardiac Ultrasound (Echo) Precision Examination: Measure myocardial thickness, left atrial size, blood flow, and ventricular contractility in real-time numerical values — Step 4. Interpretation and Diagnosis Explanation: Explain examination findings to guardian and discuss HCM staging classification and treatment direction — Step 5. Treatment and Management Plan Establishment: Connect to long-term management plan including medication management, periodic follow-up examination intervals, and complication prevention strategies
Additionally, cat-dedicated waiting areas and consultation rooms are operated separately, allowing precise measurements to be obtained in a stress-reduced environment prior to examination. Because cats often respond sensitively to unfamiliar environments and the presence of other animals, environmental separation is an important factor for examination result accuracy.
Limitations and Scope of Application
While cardiac ultrasound is a powerful tool in feline cardiac disease diagnosis, it is recommended to understand several important conditions and approach the examination with this knowledge.
According to clinical data, ultrasound examination results may vary depending on equipment performance and the veterinarian's interpretation experience. Additionally, Daily Vet Veterinary Clinical Seminar Materials emphasize that when cats are receiving diuretic therapy or are in a dehydrated state, left atrial size may be measured smaller than actual, requiring that medication use and recent water intake and diet status be shared with medical staff before examination.
Before feline cardiac ultrasound examination, please verify the items below yourself, and if any apply, please inform the medical staff upon your visit.
— Are you currently taking diuretics (furosemide, etc.) or cardiac medications? — Has water intake over the last 24 hours been significantly less than normal? — Have there been vomiting or diarrhea with potential dehydration? — Was there extreme excitement or stress on the examination day? — Have you observed rapid breathing or mouth-open breathing patterns?
If you are uncertain whether cardiac ultrasound examination is necessary, a stepwise approach utilizing NT-proBNP blood biomarker screening first is also available, as guided in the Daily Vet NT-proBNP Guide. When values are 100 pmol/L or higher, the progression to cardiac ultrasound precision examination is employed in clinical practice.
Guardians residing in nearby areas such as Namgu district animal hospitals in Busan, Yongho-dong feline hospitals, and Munhyeon-dong 24-hour animal hospitals can also visit 24H UN animal medical center Cardiac & Renal Center for consultation.
If You're Concerned About Your Cat's Heart, Start with a Consultation Now
24H UN animal medical center Cardiac & Renal Center operates 365 days, 24 hours a year-round, and you can receive feline cardiac ultrasound consultation anytime in Dae-Yeon-Dong, Busan. You can confirm examination plans and management directions suited to your companion cat's situation through consultation.
As explained in Bi My Pet Life, HCM is a disease that cannot be prevented. For this reason, the core goal of treatment is early detection, progression inhibition, and complication prevention. Given the characteristic of cats where cardiac disease can progress significantly even without symptoms, objective confirmation through professional consultation is a safer choice for both guardian and companion cat than the judgment that "it should still be fine."
If you have any concerns at all, please confirm the approach suited to your companion cat's current status through consultation before deciding whether to undergo examination.
You Might Be Curious About These Things
Q1. Does feline cardiac ultrasound examination require anesthesia?
Generally, feline cardiac ultrasound examination is conducted without anesthesia in most cases. However, when a cat is extremely sensitive or clinical status is unstable such as respiratory distress, the procedure approach may differ, so it is advisable to confirm the method suited to individual circumstances through pre-visit consultation.
Q2. Do I need cardiac ultrasound even if there's no heart murmur?
Yes, it is recommended. Cases are confirmed in clinical practice where HCM is already progressing even when no heart murmur is detected on auscultation. Because it is difficult to judge cardiac status based solely on murmur presence or absence, cardiac ultrasound examination can be considered if the breed is predisposed or the cat is advancing in age, regardless of auscultation results.
Q3. How frequently should cats undergo cardiac ultrasound examination?
This varies depending on breed, age, and current cardiac status. Predisposed breeds such as Maine Coons and Ragdolls are generally recommended for at least once per year, while general adult cats are typically recommended to include cardiac ultrasound in routine checkups 1-2 times per year. When HCM is already confirmed, medical staff will separately advise follow-up examination intervals based on individual status.
Q4. How do NT-proBNP blood tests and cardiac ultrasound differ?
NT-proBNP is a screening examination that confirms through blood a biomarker whose serum concentration increases when cardiac stress is present. Compared to cardiac ultrasound, it has easier accessibility and lower cost, making it useful for primary screening. Conversely, cardiac ultrasound is a confirmatory examination that directly measures myocardial thickness, atrial size, and blood flow in numerical values, with the two examinations maintaining a mutually complementary relationship.
⚠️ This content complies with Article 56 of the Medical Service Act, and results may vary depending on individual status.