Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Left atrial function in cats with pleural effusion or pulmonary edema
By Johns, S M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2012·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Left atrial function in cats with left-sided cardiac disease and pleural effusion or pulmonary edema.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with heart disease were studied to understand how their left atrium (a heart chamber) functioned in relation to fluid buildup in the chest (pleural effusion) or fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema). The findings showed that cats with pleural effusion had more severe issues with their left atrium's ability to pump blood compared to those with pulmonary edema. Additionally, these cats had larger right ventricles, which can indicate more serious heart problems. Understanding these differences can help veterinarians better assess and treat cats with heart disease and fluid buildup.
People also search for: cat heart disease symptoms · pleural effusion in cats treatment · cat pulmonary edema signs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Congestive heart failure (CHF) in cats with left-sided heart disease is sometimes manifest as pleural effusion, in other cases as pulmonary edema. HYPOTHESIS: Those cats with pleural effusion have more severe left atrial (LA) dysfunction than cats with pulmonary edema. ANIMALS: 30 healthy cats, 22 cats with pleural effusion, and 12 cats with pulmonary edema. All cats were client owned. METHODS: Retrospective study. Measurements of LA size and function were made using commercial software on archived echocardiograms. Cases were identified through searches of medical records and of archived echocardiograms for cats with these conditions. RESULTS: There was no difference (P = .3) in LA size between cats with pleural effusion and cats with pulmonary edema. Cats with pleural effusion had poorer (P = .04) LA active emptying and increased (P = .006) right ventricular (RV) diameter when compared with cats with pulmonary edema and healthy cats. Cats that exhibited LA active emptying of <7.9%, total emptying of <13.6% (diameter) or <19.4% (area), or RV diameter of >3.6 mm were significantly (P < .001) more likely to manifest pleural effusion. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Poorer LA function and increased RV dimensions are associated with pleural effusion in cats with left-sided heart disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22805204/