Mean pulmonary arterial pressures in Angus steers increase from cow-calf to feedlot-finishing phases

Abstract

Pulmonary arterial hypertension due to hypoxia-induced pulmonary vascular remodeling is the predominant cause of right-sided congestive heart failure (CHF) in cattle. Historically, heart failure was problematic only at altitudes over 2,134 m. However, anecdotal reports suggest that the incidence of heart failure is increasing in feedlot cattle at moderate altitude (800 to 1,600 m), with late-fed, or fat, cattle at greatest risk. The goal of this study was to evaluate pulmonary arterial pressures (PAP) in a cohort of male Angus calves from suckling to finishing to better understand why heart failure is particularly problematic in fat cattle. It was hypothesized that mean PAP would increase through the feeding period and that the calves with the greatest pressures at high altitude would have the greatest pressures as fat cattle. A total of 362 PAP measurements were obtained from 153 calves. Calves were tested at altitudes of 2,170 (4 and 6 mo old), 1,560 (13 mo old), and 1,300 m (13 and 18 mo old). Mean PAP were greater in 18-mo-old steers than any other age group (mean = 50.3 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval 48.2 to 52.4; P < 0.05). Calves that had the greatest mean pressure at 6 mo of age tended to have the greatest mean pressures at 18 mo of age (r = 0.45, P < 0.001). The increase in mean PAP with increasing age and adiposity likely predisposed the steers to an increased risk of CHF during the finishing phase.