Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cats with sudden back leg paralysis from aortic blood clots
By Hassan, Marwa H et al.·Published in Open veterinary journal·2020·Department of Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline aortic thromboembolism: Presentation, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes of 15 cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Fifteen cats suddenly developed hind leg weakness or paralysis, along with vocalization and pain, and were brought to a veterinary clinic. They were diagnosed with feline aortic thromboembolism (FATE), a serious condition where a blood clot blocks blood flow. The cats received a combination of anticoagulant medications and pain relief for a week, followed by long-term anticoagulant therapy. Unfortunately, only nine of the cats recovered, while four were euthanized and two had to have a leg amputated. Early treatment within six hours of symptoms appearing was crucial for a better chance of recovery.
People also search for: cat hind leg paralysis treatment · feline aortic thromboembolism symptoms · anticoagulant therapy for cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Feline aortic thromboembolism (FATE) is a fatal disease where a blood clot gets lodged into the aortic trifurcation. METHODS: Fifteen cats with a sudden onset of hind limb paresis/paralysis, vocalization, and pain were admitted to the surgery clinic. A full case history was obtained and clinical, orthopedic, neurologic, radiographic, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic examinations were performed for each cat. The treatment protocol included daily administration of multiple anticoagulant drugs with different mode of actions and meloxicam for 7 successive days. Prophylactic anticoagulant therapy (clopidogrel and acetylsalicylic acid) was continued for 6 months. All data were statistically analyzed and the correlation between time of admission and treatment outcome was tested using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The case history and clinical, orthopedic, and neurologic examinations revealed a sudden onset of hind limb paralysis (= 12) or paresis (= 3) associated with vocalization and pain, absence of trauma, cold and pale paws of hind limbs (= 13, 86.7%) or cyanosed hind paws (= 2, 13.3%), absence of femoral pulsation, shallow and rapid open-mouth respiration (61 ± 8 breaths/minutes), hypothermia (37.9°C ± 0.6°C) and tachycardia (155 ± 12 beats/minutes), with a muffled heart sound in four cats (26.7%). Radiography revealed no abnormalities in the hind limbs, pelvis, and spines, cardiomegaly in five cats (33.3%), mild pleural effusion and vascular pattern of the lung in six cats (40%), and Valentine's heart shape in four cats (26.7%). Electrocardiography (ECG) revealed an R-wave< 0.9 mV, prolongation of QRS interval in five cats (33.3%), and conduction disturbance in four cats (26.7%). Echocardiography was consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in five cats (33.3%). A statistically significant (= 0.023) strong negative correlation (= -0.6) was reported between time of admission and subsequent early treatment and recovery from clinical signs. The treatment was successful in nine cats (60%), while four cats (26.7) were euthanized and two cats (13.3%) were subjected to hind limb amputation, at the owners' requests. CONCLUSION: Clinical signs, radiography, ECG, and echocardiography are valuable for diagnosis of FATE. The outcome of the multiple anticoagulants therapy depends mainly upon early diagnosis and treatment within the first 6 hours from the onset of clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33282706/