Study of the correlation between heart rate variability parameters in spectral analysis and pain in horses ; Étude de la corrélation entre les paramètres de la variabilité de la fréquence cardiaque en analyse spectrale et la douleur chez le cheval

Managing pain is one of the most important tasks for a veterinarian, since animal welfare is one of society's main concerns. However, effectively managing pain first requires to assess it correctly. In horses, numerous pain assessment scales based on behavior, facial expression, and/or physiological parameters have been developed to evaluate the intensity of pain. Nevertheless, despite their demonstrated reliability, these scales can remain subjective tools as they rely on the quality of observation and the animal's sensitivity. The heart rate variability (HRV), through its close connection to the autonomic nervous system which is influenced by pain, could offer a more objective tool for pain assessment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the corrélation between HRV parameters - and more specifically the frequency indices (LF and HF) - and pain scores in horses. Twenty-nine horses were divided into two groups ("control" and "pain"). VFC indices were calculated with Kubios software using data extracted from electrocardiograms (Holter), while pain scores were established using a facial scale validated for horses. A good correlation was found between respiratory frequency and pain score. There was a significant difference in frequency indices between the two groups. In painful horses, the pain score was correlated with the LF and HF indices of the VFC. This study demonstrates that HRV frequency indices are potentially good parameters for pain assessment in horses, unlike temporal parameters. Further studies are needed to confirm these results. ; Prendre en charge la douleur est une des missions les plus importantes pour un vétérinaire, surtout aujourd'hui où le bien-être animal est au cœur de tous les débats. Mais, cela demande d'abord de savoir évaluer la douleur correctement. Chez le cheval, de nombreuses échelles de douleur basées sur le comportement, l'expression faciale et/ou des paramètres physiologiques ont été développées afin de pouvoir évaluer l'intensité de la douleur. Cependant, malgré une ...