Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival and heart blockage details in French bulldogs with pulmonic
By Chetboul, Valérie et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2018·Unité, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Specific features and survival of French bulldogs with congenital pulmonic stenosis: a prospective cohort study of 66 cases.
Plain-English summary
A group of 66 French bulldogs with congenital pulmonic stenosis (a heart defect) was studied to understand their health and survival. Most of these dogs had multiple heart issues, and many showed signs of severe heart problems. Unfortunately, about 41% of the dogs that were monitored died, with many of those deaths linked to heart failure. The average time from diagnosis to death was around 2.8 years. The study found that older age and the severity of heart issues, especially problems with the tricuspid valve, were significant factors affecting survival.
People also search for: French bulldog heart problems · pulmonic stenosis in dogs · tricuspid regurgitation treatment for dogs
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The objectives of this study were to characterize the epidemiological, clinical, and echocardiographic features of French bulldogs (FBs) with congenital pulmonic stenosis and document their survival times and risk factors for cardiac death (CD). ANIMALS: This study included 66 FBs with congenital pulmonic stenosis. METHODS: Prospective cohort study including a survival analysis to assess time to CD. RESULTS: In most cases (53/66, 80%), at least two obstructive lesions were observed, most commonly valvular and supravalvular (42/66, 64%), with pulmonary trunk hypoplasia in 40/66 (61%) of cases. The median Doppler-derived peak trans-stenotic pressure gradient (ΔP) was very high: 170 mmHg (range = 34-291 mmHg), with ΔP ≥ 200 mmHg in 33% of FBs. Among the 51 FBs with an available follow-up and that did not undergo surgical valvuloplasty, 21/51 (41%) died, 67% (14/21) of deaths being CD. The median survival time from diagnosis to CD was 2.8 years (interquartile range = 0.8-4.6 years). Univariate Cox proportional hazard analyses revealed that age (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.3 per 1 year increase; p = 0.02), clinical signs at presentation (HR = 3.7; p = 0.03), ΔP (HR = 1.2 per 10 mmHg increase; p = 0.01), right ventricular dilation (HR = 5.0; p = 0.04), severe tricuspid regurgitation (HR = 7.6; p = 0.001), and right-sided congestive heart failure (HR = 4.8; p = 0.05) were associated with time to CD. After adjustment for age and ΔP, tricuspid regurgitation remained significantly associated with time to CD (HR = 5.1; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonic stenosis in FBs is commonly severe and complex, with at least 2 obstructive lesions in most cases, a high incidence of pulmonary trunk hypoplasia and CD, and strong association between prognosis and tricuspid regurgitation severity.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30526956/