Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pulsus alternans in dogs and cat under anesthesia - what to know
By Nicholls, D et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2021·Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Occurrence of pulsus alternans during anaesthesia of two dogs and one cat and its treatment.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A cat and two dogs experienced a condition called pulsus alternans, where their heartbeats alternated between strong and weak pulses while under general anesthesia. The cat had an underlying heart problem, but the dogs were thought to have normal heart function before the procedure. The treatment involved using a medication called ephedrine, which helped restore normal pulse and heart rates in the cat and one of the dogs. The second dog returned to normal once the guidewire used for a central line was removed.
People also search for: dog heart problems during anesthesia · cat heart rate issues · ephedrine for pets · pulsus alternans in dogs · anesthesia complications in cats
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 In the other dog, pulse pattern and frequency returned to normal once the guidewire for central line placement was withdrawn.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 on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33073350/