Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with left atrial rupture and bleeding around the heart
By Sadanaga, K K et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·1990·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Echocardiography and surgery in a dog with left atrial rupture and hemopericardium.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old mixed breed dog suddenly collapsed and showed signs of weakness, labored breathing, and weak pulses. After tests, the vet found that the dog had a serious heart issue called left atrial rupture, which caused fluid buildup around the heart. The dog underwent emergency surgery to remove the fluid and repair the rupture, and while the surgery initially seemed successful, the dog sadly passed away the next day due to heart rhythm problems.
People also search for: dog sudden collapse · dog heart surgery recovery · left atrial rupture in dogs
Abstract
Endocardial splitting and left atrial rupture were diagnosed in a dog with mitral regurgitation that experienced the sudden onset of collapsing episodes, weakness, depression, labored breathing, and weak pulses. Thoracic radiographs showed a rounded cardiac silhouette with prominent left atrium consistent with hemopericardium due to left atrial rupture. Two-dimensional echocardiography confirmed the presence of severe mitral valve disease, pericardial fluid, and a laminated blood clot caudal to the left ventricle. A sterile emergency thoracotomy was performed, the hemopericardium and blood clot were removed, and the rupture site in the left atrium was repaired with reinforced sutures. The dog recovered from surgery but died the next day, presumably from a ventricular arrhythmia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2401968/