Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Nerve stimulation lowers heart rate and nerve activity in dogs over
By Yuan, Yuan et al.·Published in Heart rhythm·2018·Krannert Institute of Cardiology and Division of Cardiology, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Long-term intermittent high-amplitude subcutaneous nerve stimulation reduces sympathetic tone in ambulatory dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with heart problems, specifically episodes of rapid heart rate (paroxysmal atrial tachycardia), underwent a treatment called subcutaneous nerve stimulation (ScNS) in the chest area. This treatment helped lower their heart rates and reduced the number of rapid heart episodes they experienced each day. After two weeks of stimulation, the dogs showed significant improvements, with heart rates dropping from an average of 89 beats per minute to 83, and the number of rapid heart episodes decreasing from nearly 10 to just 3. This suggests that ScNS could be a helpful option for managing certain heart issues in dogs.
People also search for: dog rapid heart rate treatment · dog heart problems · subcutaneous nerve stimulation for dogs · how to reduce dog heart rate · dog atrial tachycardia management
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Reducing sympathetic efferent outflow from the stellate ganglia (SG) may be antiarrhythmic. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that chronic thoracic subcutaneous nerve stimulation (ScNS) could reduce SG nerve activity (SGNA) and control paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (PAT). METHODS: Thoracic ScNS was performed in 8 dogs while SGNA, vagal nerve activity (VNA), and subcutaneous nerve activity (ScNA) were monitored. An additional 3 dogs were used for sham stimulation as controls. RESULTS: Xinshu ScNS and left lateral thoracic nerve ScNS reduced heart rate (HR). Xinshu ScNS at 3.5 mA for 2 weeks reduced mean average SGNA from 5.32 μV (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.89-6.75) at baseline to 3.24 μV (95% CI 2.16-4.31; P = .015) and mean HR from 89 bpm (95% CI 80-98) at baseline to 83 bpm (95% CI 76-90; P = .007). Bilateral SG showed regions of decreased tyrosine hydroxylase staining with increased terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling-positive nuclei in 18.47% (95% CI 9.68-46.62) of all ganglion cells, indicating cell death. Spontaneous PAT episodes were reduced from 9.83 per day (95% CI 5.77-13.89) in controls to 3.00 per day (95% CI 0.11-5.89) after ScNS (P = .027). Left lateral thoracic nerve ScNS also led to significant bilateral SG neuronal death and significantly reduced average SGNA and HR in dogs. CONCLUSION: ScNS at 2 different sites in the thorax led to SG cell death, reduced SGNA, and suppressed PAT in ambulatory dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29081397/