Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Complications after pacemaker surgery in dogs with heart block done
By Ward, J L et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2015·Department of Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Complication rates associated with transvenous pacemaker implantation in dogs with high-grade atrioventricular block performed during versus after normal business hours.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with high-grade atrioventricular block (HG-AVB), a serious heart condition, underwent a transvenous pacemaker implantation. The procedure was performed after normal business hours, which was linked to a higher rate of complications, including infections and lead dislodgement. Out of 79 dogs studied, 18% experienced major complications, with a significant number occurring during after-hours procedures. Despite these complications, the overall survival time for the dogs was about 27 months, and there was no difference in survival rates between those treated during business hours and those treated after hours.
People also search for: dog heart block treatment · pacemaker complications in dogs · high-grade atrioventricular block in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Transvenous pacemaker implantation in dogs is associated with a relatively high complication rate. At our institution, pacemaker implantation in dogs with high-grade atrioventricular block (HG-AVB) frequently is performed as an after-hours emergency. HYPOTHESIS: Among dogs with HG-AVB, the rate of major complications is higher when pacemakers are implanted after hours (AH) compared to during business hours (BH). ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs with HG-AVB that underwent transvenous pacemaker implantation between January 2002 and December 2012 at the North Carolina State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. METHODS: Retrospective medical record review. Two-year follow-up was required for complications analysis. RESULTS: Major complications occurred in 14/79 dogs (18%) and included lead dislodgement, lead or generator infection, lead or generator migration, and pacing failure. Incidence of major complications was significantly higher AH (10/36, 28%) compared to BH (4/43, 9%; P = .041), and all infectious complications occurred AH. Median survival time for all dogs was 27 months and did not differ between AH and BH groups for either all-cause (P = .70) or cardiac (P = .40) mortality. AH dogs were younger than BH dogs (P = .010), but there were no other clinically relevant differences between BH and AH groups in terms of demographic, clinical, or procedural variables. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: At our institution, AH transvenous pacemaker placement is associated with a higher rate of major complications (especially infections) compared to BH placement. This difference may be because of a variety of human factor differences AH versus BH.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25619513/