An Echocardiogram is an important diagnostic tool in veterinary medicine, but is also incredibly important in the Sphynx breed, as well as many others, in monitoring heart health proactively on a routine basis. In order to better understand what all of the measurements deduced by an echocardiogram mean, let’s first clarify some important terms and abbreviations you will commonly see on the HCM screening forms.  Diastolic and Systolic are both in reference to blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure measures the force the heart exerts on the arteries in-between heart beats, while Systolic blood pressure measures the force the heart exerts…