Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart block types and outcomes in cats with pacemakers
By Spalla, I et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2021·Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Paroxysmal high-grade second-degree and persistent third-degree atrioventricular block in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 64 cats with heart problems was studied, focusing on those diagnosed with severe heart block, which can cause symptoms like collapse or difficulty breathing. Many of these cats had other health issues, and some underwent a procedure to implant a pacemaker, which helped most of them feel better right away. While some cats did experience complications, the majority had a good chance of surviving for a long time after treatment. Overall, the study found that pacemaker implantation was effective in managing the symptoms of heart block in cats.
People also search for: cat heart block symptoms · cat pacemaker surgery · why is my cat collapsing · cat heart failure treatment · cat arrhythmia signs
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Both paroxysmal high-grade second-degree and persistent third-degree atrioventricular block (AVB) are recognised in cats. Our aim was to document the presentation, echocardiographic data, comorbidities and outcome in affected cats from a single referral hospital, including those that underwent epicardial pacemaker implantation (EPI). ANIMALS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 64 cats diagnosed with persistent third-degree or paroxysmal high-grade AVB, for which detailed patient history was available. Non-parametric testing, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard testing were performed. RESULTS: Atrioventricular block was persistent in 43 cats (67%) and paroxysmal in 21 (33%). Forty-seven cats (74%) were referred for cardiac complaints (e.g. collapse, arrhythmia, tachypnea), 6 (9%) had non-specific complaints and AVB was an incidental finding in 11 cats (17%). Median duration of clinical signs prior to presentation was 21 days (1-1138 days). Thirty-nine (63%) cats had echocardiographic abnormalities; 13 (20%) presented with congestive heart failure. Forty-five (70%) cats had one or more comorbidities. Fifteen cats underwent EPI with immediate resolution of signs in 12 cats. Following EPI, two and four cats experienced major and minor complications, respectively. Forty-seven cats died; median survival time was 799 days (all-cause mortality). Cardiac-related death occurred in 17 cats (36%); median survival in these cats was 132 days. Heart failure on presentation was the only independent risk factor for cardiac death (p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Outcome in cats with AVB was variable, although most had good medium- to long-term survival. Cardiac death occurred in a minority of cats. Pacemaker implantation was effective in relieving clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34051641/