Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with heart pacemaker lead causing late heart wall perforation
By Achen, Sarah E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2008·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Late cardiac perforation by a passive-fixation permanent pacemaker lead in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old Miniature Dachshund was brought in for a routine dental cleaning when it was found to have a problem with its heart pacemaker, which had been implanted seven weeks earlier. During the procedure, the dog lost the ability to properly capture heartbeats, and further tests showed that the pacemaker lead had perforated the heart muscle. The vet successfully replaced the faulty pacemaker with a new one, and the dog initially recovered well. Unfortunately, about two months later, the dog experienced sudden breathing problems and was euthanized.
People also search for: dog pacemaker problems · Miniature Dachshund heart issues · dog respiratory distress after pacemaker
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 12-year-old Miniature Dachshund with a history of permanent endocardial pacemaker implantation performed 7 weeks previously was admitted for routine dental prophylaxis. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Preanesthetic ECG revealed normal ventricular capture. Thoracic radiographic findings included caudomedial displacement of the endocardial pacemaker lead. Echocardiography revealed moderate chronic degenerative valve disease with moderate left atrial and ventricular dilation. After induction of anesthesia, loss of ventricular capture was detected. The dog recovered from anesthesia and had improved ventricular capture. The following day, surgical exposure of the cardiac apex revealed perforation of the right ventricular apex by the passive-fixation pacemaker lead. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: A permanent epicardial pacemaker was implanted through a transxiphoid approach. Appropriate ventricular capture and sensing were achieved. The dog recovered without complications. Approximately 2 months later, the dog developed sudden respiratory distress at home and was euthanized. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In dogs with permanent pacemakers and loss of ventricular capture, differential diagnoses should include cardiac perforation. If evidence of perforation of the pacemaker lead is found, replacement of the endocardial pacemaker lead with an epicardial pacemaker lead is warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18922056/