Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog developed delirium after atropine treatment for slow heart rate
By Fedotova, Samantha et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Atropine-induced delirium in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old spayed female Goldendoodle was brought to the vet after experiencing a slow heart rate and collapsing. Tests showed she had a serious heart condition that required a pacemaker. To help her heart rate, the vet used atropine, but this caused her to have a temporary episode of confusion or delirium. After the atropine treatment was stopped, she recovered and had the pacemaker placed the next day. A year later, she showed no further issues and was doing well.
People also search for: dog heart problems · Goldendoodle collapse · atropine side effects in dogs · dog pacemaker recovery · dog confusion after medication
Abstract
A 6-year-old spayed female Goldendoodle was presented as a referral for bradycardia and collapse. An electrocardiogram revealed a high-grade second-degree atrioventricular block (HG2AVB) with atrial flutter. The patient was hospitalized overnight with the intention of pacemaker placement the following morning. Following bolus administration of atropine and lidocaine to rule out high vagal tone, the patient was placed on an atropine continuous rate infusion (CRI) to increase heart rate overnight. This resulted in an acute onset of suspected delirium, which lasted several hours following cessation of the CRI. The patient proceeded with pacemaker placement the following day. No further neurological events were noted at 1 year after pacemaker placement. Atropine-associated delirium should be considered in any patient where high cumulative doses of atropine are being considered.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41158938/