Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Balloon procedure to ease lung blood pressure in a young dog
By Allen, Justin et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·VCA West Los Angeles, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Graded balloon atrial septostomy for palliation of congenital pulmonary hypertension in a dog: A case report.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old female Maltese was brought to the vet after collapsing suddenly during play. The dog experienced fainting spells and even went into cardiac arrest, leading to a diagnosis of severe pulmonary hypertension, a serious heart condition. Initially, a medication called sildenafil helped reduce the fainting episodes, but it didn’t improve the underlying issue. The vet then performed a procedure called graded balloon atrial septostomy, which created a small opening in the heart to help with blood flow. Remarkably, the dog remained symptom-free for 18 months after the treatment.
People also search for: Maltese dog fainting · pulmonary hypertension treatment in dogs · balloon atrial septostomy for dogs
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 6-month-old intact female Maltese dog was presented for acute onset of syncope. CLINICAL FINDINGS: The dog was presented for collapse upon excitement and exercise. It collapsed at discharge and suffered cardiopulmonary arrest. Echocardiography after resuscitation indicated severe pulmonary hypertension without evidence of intracardiac or extracardiac shunting. A presumptive diagnosis of congenital pulmonary hypertension was made. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Initial treatment with sildenafil was effective at relieving syncope, but the extent of pulmonary hypertension as determined by serial echocardiography was unchanged. Graded balloon atrial septostomy was performed as a palliative procedure. Follow-up echocardiography identified a patent interatrial communication with bidirectional shunting. The dog remained asymptomatic 18 months after treatment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report in the veterinary literature of graded balloon atrial septostomy performed for therapeutic purposes. Further studies are required to determine if this palliative procedure is a beneficial treatment option for dogs with congenital or severe refractory pulmonary hypertension.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31769097/