Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Arterial blood clots in 250 UK cats and survival outcomes
By Borgeat, K et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2014·Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Arterial thromboembolism in 250 cats in general practice: 2004-2012.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 250 cats with a serious condition called arterial thromboembolism (ATE), which can cause sudden limb pain and weakness, were treated at general veterinary clinics in the UK. Unfortunately, 61% of these cats were euthanized right away, but some did survive longer than a day. Factors like being very cold at the time of treatment and not receiving certain medications (like aspirin or clopidogrel) were linked to a higher chance of death within the first week. However, a few cats did manage to live for over a year after their diagnosis, showing that there is hope for some pets with this condition.
People also search for: cat arterial thromboembolism symptoms · cat leg pain treatment · cat survival after thromboembolism
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Population characteristics and outcome of cats with arterial thromboembolism (ATE) managed in general practice (GP) have been poorly described. HYPOTHESIS: Cats with ATE presenting to GP are usually euthanized at presentation, but survival times >1 year are possible. ANIMALS: Cats with ATE managed by 3 GP clinics in the United Kingdom. METHODS: Records of cases presenting to GP over a 98-month period (2004-2012) were reviewed. Cats with an antemortem diagnosis of limb ATE were included. Outcome information was obtained. RESULTS: Over 98 months, 250 cats were identified with ATE. Prevalence was approximately 0.3%. At presentation, 153 cats (61.2%) were euthanized, with 68/97 (70.1%) of the remaining cats (27.2% of the total population) surviving >24 hours after presentation. Of these, 30/68 (44.1%) survived for at least 7 days. Hypothermia (HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.002-2.07; P = .049) and management by Clinic 2 (HR, 5.53; 95% CI, 1.23-24.8; P = .026) were independent predictors of 24-hour euthanasia or death. For cats surviving >24 hours, hypothermia (HR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.12-4.48; P = .021) and failure to receive aspirin, clopidogrel, or both (HR, 8.26; 95% CI, 1.39-50; P = .001) were independent predictors of euthanasia or death within 7 days. For cats that survived ≥7 days, median survival time was 94 (95% CI, 42-164) days, with 6 cats alive 1 year after presentation. CONCLUSIONS: Although 153/250 cats were euthanized at presentation, 6 cats survived >12 months. No factors were identified that predicted euthanasia on presentation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24237457/