Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with sick sinus syndrome treated with heart pacemaker
By Lo, E J Y et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2025·Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Epicardial pacemaker implantation in a young cat with sick sinus syndrome.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old Abyssinian cat was brought in for episodes of staring into space, excessive blinking, and fainting. Tests showed that the cat had a slow heart rate and pauses in its heartbeat, which were linked to a condition called sick sinus syndrome. The initial treatment with a medication did not help, so the veterinarian implanted a pacemaker to regulate the cat's heartbeat. After the pacemaker was placed, the cat's symptoms improved significantly, and it required minimal assistance from the device.
People also search for: cat fainting episodes · Abyssinian cat heart problems · sick sinus syndrome treatment in cats
Abstract
A one-year-old Abyssinian cat was referred for episodes of vacancy, exaggerated blinking, and intermittent collapse episodes. A 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and ECG telemetry demonstrated sinus bradycardia, sinus pauses, and sinus arrest with a junctional escape rhythm. No infectious agents were identified as a cause of the bradyarrhythmia during systemic disease screening. Findings were consistent with idiopathic sick sinus syndrome. Theophylline therapy did not improve clinical signs or ECG findings. An epicardial pacemaker was placed, which alleviated clinical signs. Pacemaker interrogation after implantation showed minimal use of the pacemaker. This case report highlights the utility of ECG telemetry in describing electrocardiographic findings of sinus arrest, a junctional escape rhythm, and sinus bradycardia in a cat with clinical signs, consistent with sick sinus syndrome which resolved following epicardial pacemaker implantation.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41046801/