Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Outcomes for cats with severe heart block with or without pacemakers
By Colpitts, M E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2021·Department of Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Characteristics and outcomes of cats with and without pacemaker placement for high-grade atrioventricular block.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 22 cats with high-grade atrioventricular block (AVB), which can cause fainting or seizure-like behavior, were studied to see how pacemaker placement affected their health. Out of these, 10 cats received a pacemaker, and all of them showed improvement in their fainting or seizure-like symptoms. However, the study found that the survival time was similar for both cats with and without a pacemaker, although the pacemaker did help with symptoms. It's important to note that some cats may have temporary AVB and could have other health issues.
People also search for: cat fainting treatment · high-grade AVB in cats · cat pacemaker placement outcomes
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Available information on characteristics and outcome in cats with high-grade atrioventricular block (AVB) that receive a pacemaker is limited. ANIMALS: Twenty-two privately owned cats presenting with high-grade AVB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records were retrospectively examined. Cats were grouped as having received a pacemaker (PACE group) or not having received a pacemaker (non-PACE group). Clinical characteristics and outcomes of groups were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 10 cats in the PACE group and 12 cats in the non-PACE group. At presentation, syncope or seizure-like behavior (p = 0.004) and bradycardia (p = 0.043) were more common in the PACE than the non-PACE group. Historical lethargy (p = 0.015) and dull mentation (p = 0.045) were more common in the non-PACE group, as was clinically relevant systemic disease. Pacemaker placement improved syncope or seizure-like behavior in 100% of cats. The degree of AVB at presentation was not associated with pacemaker placement nor the future degree of AVB. The major complication rate of pacemaker placement was 40%. Intergroup survival was not significantly different (PACE group 1278 days, 95% confidence interval: 0-2145 days; non-PACE group 213 days, confidence interval: 1-not available, p = 0.77). CONCLUSIONS: Pacemaker placement improved clinical signs in cats with high-grade AVB. A difference in survival time could not be demonstrated between cats that received and did not receive a pacemaker in this retrospective study. High-grade AVB can be transient and accompanied by systemic disease in some cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33548737/