Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with spirocercosis dies from aortic rupture after medetomidine
By Joubert, K E et al.·Published in Journal of the South African Veterinary Association·2005·Fourways Veterinary Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Acute aortic rupture in a dog with spirocercosis following the administration of medetomidine.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male dog with spirocercosis (a parasitic infection) was sedated with medetomidine for a procedure when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest and could not be revived. Before this incident, the dog showed signs consistent with spirocercosis, including issues visible on chest X-rays. Unfortunately, after his death, it was determined that he suffered an acute rupture of the aorta, likely triggered by the sedative's effects on his cardiovascular system. This case highlights the risks of using medetomidine in dogs with this condition, suggesting that caution is necessary.
People also search for: dog spirocercosis symptoms · medetomidine side effects in dogs · dog aortic rupture treatment
Abstract
Spirocercosis is an emerging disease in veterinary medicine. A strong suspicion of spirocercosis is usually evident after a thorough clinical examination and radiography of the chest has been performed. Lesions seen on radiography include an oesophageal mass, spondylitis and oesophageal air. Unfortunately, radiography is not diagnostic and additional diagnostic procedures are required to confirm the diagnosis. Endoscopy is commonly performed to diagnose the condition. The dog presented in this study had radiographic and clinical signs consistent with spirocercosis and definitive diagnosis was required. Shortly after sedation with medetomidine, the dog went into cardiac arrest and failed to respond to resuscitative measures. On post mortem, the diagnosis of spirocercosis was confirmed and the cause of death was identified as acute aortic rupture. Aortic aneurysms are not an uncommon finding and cause of acute death in dogs with spirocercosis. The acute rupture of the aorta in this case is most probably the result of cardiovascular changes associated with the administration of medetomidine. Medetomidine causes an acute rise in systemic vascular resistance with hypertension. The increase in shear stress across the weakened aortic wall resulted in rupture. Caution with the use of medetomidine in patients with spirocercosis is advised.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16300184/