Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with heart failure from pacemaker lead blocking blood flow
By Djani, D M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2016·Department of Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Congestive heart failure caused by transvenous pacemaker lead prolapse and associated right ventricular outflow tract obstruction in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 16-year-old dog was brought in for coughing and difficulty breathing three years after getting a pacemaker. X-rays and an ultrasound of the heart showed that the pacemaker lead had slipped into the main pulmonary artery, leading to serious breathing problems. The veterinarian repositioned the lead, which improved the dog's breathing and resolved the fluid buildup in the chest. This case highlights the importance of proper placement and securing of pacemaker leads to prevent such complications.
People also search for: dog cough and breathing problems · pacemaker complications in dogs · dog heart failure treatment
Abstract
A 16-year-old dog was presented for cough as well as increased respiratory rate and effort three years after implantation of a single-lead transvenous artificial pacemaker system. Thoracic radiographs and echocardiography disclosed prolapse of the pacemaker lead into the main pulmonary artery, causing severe pulmonary insufficiency and right-sided volume overload. Repositioning of the pacemaker lead led to improvement of pulmonary insufficiency and resolution of the dog's clinical signs and cavitary effusions. This case describes a late complication of pacemaker implantation that may be avoided by appropriate use of the manufacturer-provided anchoring sleeve and avoidance of excessive lead redundancy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27460187/