Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Botulinum toxin injection reduces vagal atrial fibrillation in dogs
By Oh, Seil et al.·Published in Circulation. Arrhythmia and electrophysiology·2011·Department of Internal Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Botulinum toxin injection in epicardial autonomic ganglia temporarily suppresses vagally mediated atrial fibrillation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 mongrel dogs underwent a procedure where botulinum toxin (Botox) was injected into specific areas of their hearts to see if it could help with atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of irregular heartbeat. The dogs showed a significant reduction in AF for at least one week after the treatment, but the effect wore off after that. This suggests that botulinum toxin might be a temporary solution for managing AF in dogs, particularly after heart surgery.
People also search for: dog atrial fibrillation treatment · botulinum toxin for dog heart problems · managing dog irregular heartbeat
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Autonomic denervation may suppress atrial fibrillation (AF) vulnerability. This study was designed to assess the short- to mid-term effects of botulinum toxin, a cholinergic neurotransmission blocker, on AF inducibility. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 23 mongrel dogs were studied. The sinus node and atrioventricular node epicardial fat pads were exposed through a right lateral thoracotomy. Botulinum toxin (Botox, 50 U per fat pad) or 0.9% normal saline (control) was injected into the center of each of the 2 fat pads. The electrophysiological effects were evaluated at 1, 2, and 3 weeks (7 to 8 animals at each time point) with and without cervical vagal stimulation. The vagal stimulation effects on the sinus and atrioventricular nodes were inhibited, and dispersion of atrial effective refractory period was lower at 1 week in the Botox group. Significant suppression of AF inducibility was observed at 1 week but disappeared at 2 and 3 weeks. These changes were not observed in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Temporary suppression of vagally mediated AF, for at least 1 week, was achieved with botulinum toxin injection in this canine model. This effect might be associated with reduced dispersion of effective refractory period. A temporary autonomic block using botulinum toxin might be a novel therapeutic option for several clinical conditions such as post-cardiac surgery AF.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21659633/