Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Technique and outcome of mitral valve replacement in dogs.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2005
- Authors:
- Orton, E Christopher et al.
- Affiliation:
- James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In this study, eight dogs with severe mitral regurgitation, a condition where the heart's mitral valve doesn't close properly, underwent surgery to replace the valve with a mechanical one. After the surgery, the dogs were given a blood thinner called warfarin to help prevent blood clots. Seven of the dogs survived the surgery, and their heart measurements showed improvement, indicating better heart function. However, six of the dogs later died due to blood clots forming on the new valve, which affected their long-term recovery. Overall, while the surgery was generally well-tolerated, the risk of blood clots significantly impacted the long-term outcomes for these dogs.
Abstract
Eight dogs with naturally occurring severe mitral regurgitation underwent mitral valve replacement with a mechanical valve prosthesis during cardiopulmonary bypass. Dogs received warfarin orally after surgery to maintain a prothrombin time-based international normalized ratio from 2.5 to 3.5. Seven dogs survived surgery. Left ventricular diastolic volume index decreased significantly from 206 +/- 91 mL/m2 before surgery to 121 +/- 47 mL/m2 after surgery. Left atrium-to-aorta ratio decreased significantly from 2.66 +/- 0.4 before surgery to 1.73 +/- 0.65 after surgery. Left ventricular systolic volume index was not significantly different after surgery (56 +/- 36 mL/m2), compared with before surgery (40 +/- 32 mL/m2). Median survival after surgery was 4.5 months (range, 0.75 months to 5.25 years). Six dogs died of confirmed or suspected thrombosis of the valve prosthesis. Dogs with severe mitral regurgitation tolerated mitral valve replacement well, but a high incidence of prosthetic valve thrombosis limited long-term outcome.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15882001/