Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical repair of heart hole in a 2-year-old cat
By Wada, T et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2025·Japan Animal Cardiovascular Care Team, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Surgical correction of ventricular septal defect in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old male British shorthair cat was brought in for surgery to fix a heart defect called a ventricular septal defect (VSD), which was causing him to breathe rapidly. He had been treated with several medications for his breathing issues, and tests showed that his heart was enlarged. The surgery involved closing the defect with a special patch, and although he had some minor heart rhythm issues afterward, he recovered well. A year later, he was more active and no longer needed any medication, showing that the surgery was successful.
People also search for: cat heart defect surgery · British shorthair breathing problems · ventricular septal defect treatment in cats
Abstract
A two-year-old intact male British shorthair cat, weighing 4.6 kg, was referred for surgical correction of a ventricular septal defect (VSD). The cat was treated with pimobendan, amlodipine, furosemide, and clopidogrel for tachypnea, and no other clinical signs of cardiac disease were observed. Physical examination revealed heart murmurs. Radiographic and echocardiographic evaluations indicated generalized cardiomegaly and left atrial enlargement. Two-dimensional echocardiography revealed a large left-to-right shunt through a 5.8-mm perimembranous VSD with a septal aneurysm. The pulmonary-to-systemic blood flow ratio was 3.3, indicating a substantial volume overload. Surgical correction was performed via a right ventricular outflow tract incision under cardiopulmonary bypass using an 8-mm expanded polytetrafluoroethylene patch to close the VSD. Postoperatively, the cat had sporadic premature ventricular contractions but recovered without major complications. At one year postoperatively, the cat showed improved activity levels and no residual shunt flow and required no medication. This report demonstrates the feasibility of patch closure for membranous VSDs in cats through a right ventricular outflow tract incision and highlights the need for further studies to assess its effectiveness.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40334632/