Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Patent ductus arteriosus in 50 cats diagnosed 2000-2015
By Bascuñán, A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2017·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Patent ductus arteriosus in cats (Felis catus): 50 cases (2000-2015).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old cat was diagnosed with a heart condition called patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which often doesn't show obvious symptoms. In this case, most cats with PDA did not display clinical signs, but some had heart murmurs detected during a vet exam. The cats underwent echocardiograms to confirm the diagnosis, and about 68% of them had a procedure to close the PDA. The results were generally positive, with many cats doing well long-term after the treatment, although a few experienced complications during the procedure.
People also search for: cat heart murmur treatment · patent ductus arteriosus in cats · cat heart surgery recovery · symptoms of heart problems in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To describe signalment, clinical characteristics, diagnostic, treatment, and outcome data in a large case series of cats with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). ANIMALS: Fifty cats with confirmed PDA. METHODS: Retrospective review of medical records from five referral veterinary hospitals for cats with PDA between 2000 and 2015. Cats were included if a PDA was visualized echocardiographically, during surgery, or on post-mortem examination. RESULTS: Median age at presentation was 6 months (range: 36 days-9.7 years; n = 50), and sex distribution was approximately equal (27 male, 23 female). Most cats did not have clinical signs (70.2%; 33/47) at the time of presentation. Murmurs were classified as continuous (55%; 22/40) or systolic (45%; 18/40). Echocardiography confirmed left-to-right shunting in 33 cats (82.5%; 33/40) and right-to-left shunting in 7 (17.5%; 7/40). Concurrent cardiac anomalies were identified in 54.5% (18/33) and pulmonary hypertension in 45.7% (16/35). Closure was pursued in 68% (34/50), and complications associated with the procedure occurred in 14.7% (5/34) of cats, including one intraoperative mortality. Long-term follow up was available in 80% (40/50) of cats. CONCLUSIONS: Cats with PDA often do not display clinical signs and may not have the characteristic physical examination findings typical of PDA in dogs. An increased prevalence of concurrent cardiac anomalies and pulmonary hypertension were found relative to previous reports. Thoracic radiographs and echocardiogram may provide the most comprehensive information for making a diagnosis and treatment recommendations. PDA closure was associated with a favorable long-term outcome in cats included in this study.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27919727/