Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Occurrence of pulsus alternans during anaesthesia of two dogs and one cat and its treatment.
- Journal:
- Australian veterinary journal
- Year:
- 2021
- Authors:
- Nicholls, D et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Services · United Kingdom
Plain-English summary
In this study, two dogs and one cat experienced a condition called pulsus alternans while they were under general anesthesia. This condition means that the strength of their heartbeats alternated between strong and weak. The cat was found to have an underlying heart problem, but the two dogs appeared to have normal heart function before the anesthesia. The researchers treated the pulsus alternans successfully with a medication called ephedrine in the cat and one of the dogs, while the second dog returned to normal once a guidewire used for a central line was removed. Overall, the treatment worked well for the animals involved.
Abstract
The authors report the occurrence of pulsus alternans, a condition characterised by the alternance of pulses of higher and lower amplitude, in two dogs and one cat under general anaesthesia. The presence of an underlying cardiac disease was confirmed in the cat but not in either dog, which - based on history and clinical findings - had presumably normal cardiovascular function before the anaesthetic. Possible mechanisms, including negative inotropy and haemodynamic and Frank-Starling effects, as well as the role of general anaesthesia as the potential triggering factor, are discussed in this report. Ephedrine resulted in the successful treatment of pulsus alternans, as demonstrated by the return of normal pulse and synchronisation of heart and pulse rates in the cat and in one dog. In the other dog, pulse pattern and frequency returned to normal once the guidewire for central line placement was withdrawn.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33073350/