Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mitral valve replacement in dogs - what to expect
By Orton, E Christopher et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2005·James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Technique and outcome of mitral valve replacement in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Eight dogs with severe heart problems caused by mitral regurgitation (a leaky heart valve) underwent surgery to replace the valve with a mechanical one. After the surgery, most dogs were given a blood thinner called warfarin to prevent clots. While seven of the dogs survived the surgery, many faced complications later, with six dogs dying from blood clots in the new valve. Although the surgery improved some heart measurements, the risk of thrombosis (clots) significantly affected their long-term health.
People also search for: dog heart surgery recovery · mitral valve replacement in dogs · dog heart valve thrombosis treatment
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 on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15882001/