Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival factors in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy from 367 cases
By Martin, M W S et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2010·Veterinary Cardiorespiratory Centre, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine dilated cardiomyopathy: a retrospective study of prognostic findings in 367 clinical cases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 367 dogs diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious heart condition, to understand how different factors affected their survival. Symptoms like fluid in the lungs and abnormal heart rhythms were linked to shorter lifespans. Most dogs were treated with medications like ACE inhibitors and furosemide to help manage their condition. Unfortunately, the study couldn't definitively say which treatments improved survival. However, it found that the size of the heart's left ventricle was the best predictor of how long these dogs might live after diagnosis.
People also search for: dog heart disease symptoms · dilated cardiomyopathy treatment for dogs · Great Dane heart problems
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To review the association between clinical signs and diagnostic findings and the survival time of dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and any influence of treatment prescribed. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of 367 dogs with DCM. Survival times until death or euthanasia for cardiac reasons were analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method plus univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Two-tailed P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In the multivariate model, left ventricular diameter (LVDs)-index (P=0.0067), presence of pulmonary oedema on radiography (P=0.043), presence of ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) (P=0.0012), higher plasma creatinine (P=0.0002), lower plasma protein (P=0.029) and great Dane breed (P=0.0003) were negatively associated with survival. Most dogs were treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (93%) or furosemide (86%), and many received digoxin (50%) and/or pimobendan (30%). Thirteen dogs were lost to follow-up. No conclusions could be made in this study on the association between use of drugs and survival. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The LVDs-index was the single best variable for assessing the prognosis in this group of dogs with DCM. Other variables that were negatively associated with survival were presence of pulmonary oedema on radiography, presence of VPCs, higher plasma creatinine, lower plasma protein and great Dane breed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20670255/