Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival factors for dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy
By Borgarelli, Michele et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2006·Department Patologia Animale, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prognostic indicators for dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 63 dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy, a serious heart condition, was studied to find out which factors could predict how long they might live. Symptoms like difficulty breathing, fluid buildup in the abdomen, and specific heart measurements were examined. The research found that dogs with more severe heart failure, fluid in the abdomen, and certain heart function patterns had shorter survival times. The average survival time was about 22 months, but some factors, like a restrictive flow pattern in the heart, were particularly concerning. Understanding these indicators can help veterinarians provide better care and guidance for dogs with this condition.
People also search for: dog dilated cardiomyopathy prognosis · heart failure symptoms in dogs · treatment for dog heart problems
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of various clinical, ECG, echocardiographic, and Doppler echocardiographic variables in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy. The relationship to survival of 11 variables was evaluated in 63 dogs. Studied variables were age at time of diagnosis, class of heart failure (HF), dyspnea, ascites, atrial fibrillation (AF), ejection fraction (EF), E-point septal separation, end-diastolic volume index, end-systolic volume index (ESV-I), and restrictive or nonrestrictive transmitral flow (TMF) pattern. Median survival time was 671 days (lower 95% confidence limit, 350 days). Survival curves showed that severity of HF, ascites, ESV-I greater than 140 mL/m2, EF less than 25%, and restrictive TMF pattern had a significant negative relation to survival time. Thirty-nine dogs with both sinus rhythm and AF presented adequate TMF recordings; in these dogs, after stratification by TMF pattern, the restrictive TMF pattern was the most important negative prognostic indicator. We conclude that in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy the restrictive TMF pattern appears to represent a useful prognostic indicator. Class of HF, ascites, ESV-I, and EF are also useful indexes if an adequate TMF pattern is not recorded.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16496929/