Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tissue plasminogen activator risks and effects in cats with blood
By Welch, Kristin M et al.Ā·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgeryĀ·2010Ā·Department of Clinical Sciences, United StatesĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Prospective evaluation of tissue plasminogen activator in 11 cats with arterial thromboembolism.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old domestic shorthair cat was treated for arterial thromboembolism (ATE), a condition where a blood clot blocks blood flow, causing severe pain and loss of limb function. The cat received a medication called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to dissolve the clot, but unfortunately, all cats in the study experienced serious side effects, including kidney issues and heart problems. While some cats showed improvement in blood flow and movement, only three out of eleven were able to leave the hospital alive after treatment. This highlights the risks associated with using tPA for ATE in cats.
People also search for: cat arterial thromboembolism treatment Ā· cat blood clot symptoms Ā· tPA side effects in cats
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical response and side effects of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for the treatment of feline arterial thromboembolism (ATE). Previous reports of conservative and thrombolytic therapy were used to provide a historical control group of cats with ATE. The study was terminated due to a high frequency of adverse outcomes. tPA was administered to 11 cats with clinical signs of ATE for a median duration of 4.0 h (range 2-12h) prior to treatment. Pulses were restored in 40% of limbs within 4h and 53% within 24h. Motor function was restored to 33% of limbs within 24h. Adverse effects were seen in 11/11 cats following administration of tPA including azotemia (n=5), neurological signs (n=5), cardiac arrhythmias (n=5), hyperkalemia (n=4), acidosis (n=2) and sudden death in one cat. Ultimately, three cats (27%) were discharged alive from the hospital. While signs compatible with thrombolysis were noted in many cats following tPA administration, a high rate of side effects and low rate of hospital discharge were noted in this study.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19740689/