Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Atrial fibrillation in a pregnant mare: treatment with quinidine sulfate.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1987
- Authors:
- Bertone, J J et al.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 15-year-old pregnant mare, who was also nursing a foal, had a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, which means her heart was beating irregularly. To treat this, she was given a medication called quinidine sulfate, which successfully restored her heart's normal rhythm. The medication was found in her milk and blood, but it did not affect her pregnancy. Unfortunately, six months later, she developed a serious condition in her intestines and passed away, but there were no heart problems found during the examination after her death, and her foal was healthy.
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation in a pregnant, lactating, 15-year-old mare nursing a 70-day-old foal was converted to normal sinus rhythm, using quinidine sulfate. The maximum concentration of quinidine was 4.3 mg/L in the mare's milk and was 2.6 mg/L in the mare's serum. Treatment with quinidine did not interrupt the pregnancy. Six months after treatment, the mare developed acute volvulus of the large colon and died. At necropsy, the mare did not have macroscopic or microscopic cardiac lesions. The fetus was macroscopically and histologically normal.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3610766/