Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Managing heartworms inside the heart in dogs and what to expect
By Vila, Jorge & Alost, Elisabeth·Published in Parasites & vectors·2023·Medvet New Orleans, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Management and outcome of intracardiac heartworms in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 27 dogs with serious heartworm disease affecting their hearts (intracardiac heartworms) were treated at a veterinary cardiology service. Some dogs were already on treatment, while others were newly diagnosed. Many dogs underwent heartworm extraction, which is a procedure to remove the worms, and none died during the procedure. The results showed that most dogs who had their heartworms removed did well in the long term, with many surviving for over a year after treatment. Overall, the study suggests that heartworm extraction is an effective treatment for dogs with this serious condition.
People also search for: dog heartworm treatment · intracardiac heartworms in dogs · heartworm extraction procedure · dog heartworm survival rate · caval syndrome in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intracardiac heartworm (IH) disease is a serious condition that can become life threatening if the patient develops caval syndrome. We aim to describe the management and outcome of IH in dogs evaluated by Medvet's New Orleans cardiology service from November 2015 to December 2021. METHODS: Records of 27 dogs with IH were examined retrospectively. Follow-up information was obtained from phone conversations with referring veterinarians and owners. RESULTS: Nine of 27 dogs had a previous diagnosis of heartworm disease and were undergoing "slow kill" treatment; 12/27 dogs' heartworm disease was a new diagnosis, and 6/27 had either scheduled or started adulticide therapy. Nine dogs had heartworm extraction. No dogs died during the heartworm extraction procedure. Four of 9 dogs have died (survival time 1; 676; 1815 and 2184 days). One dog died the day after the procedure secondary to continued respiratory distress; the other three died of non-cardiac causes. Five of nine are alive (median follow-up 1062 (range 648-1831) days. Eleven dogs had IH resolution. In 7/11 this occurred while undergoing stabilization for heartworm extraction. In 4/11 heartworm extraction was not recommended because of low IH burden. All dogs with IH resolution were discharged from the hospital. Four of 11 have died (survival time 6; 22, 58 and 835 days), and 6/11 are alive (median follow-up 523 (range 268-2081) days. One was lost to follow-up after 18 days. Five dogs were medically managed. In one of five dogs, extraction was not recommended because of low IH burden. In four of five extraction was recommended but declined. One of five has died (survival 26 days), and four of five are alive (follow-up 155, 371, 935 and 947 days). Two dogs were killed at the time of diagnosis. Fifteen of 27 dogs were considered to have caval syndrome. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that patients with IH resolution have a good long-term prognosis. Most often IH resolution occurred while the dog was undergoing stabilization for heartworm extraction. When IHs are present, heartworm extraction should still be considered the treatment of choice and recommended as first-line therapy whenever possible.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37106387/