Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Transient complete atrioventricular block following transvenous electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in a horse.
- Journal:
- Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
- Year:
- 2005
- Authors:
- van Loon, G et al.
- Affiliation:
- Ghent University
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A horse with atrial fibrillation, which is a type of irregular heartbeat that didn't respond to medication, underwent a procedure called transvenous electrical cardioversion to try to restore a normal heart rhythm. During the procedure, doctors placed special catheters in the horse's heart and delivered electrical shocks, but they were unable to get the heart back to a normal rhythm. After some of the shocks, the horse experienced a temporary complete block in the electrical signals of the heart, which lasted between 15 and 55 seconds. This caused the horse's heart rate to slow down significantly, but it was managed with temporary pacing until the heart started working normally again. The study suggests that having a way to pace the heart temporarily is important during this type of treatment in horses.
Abstract
Transvenous electrical cardioversion was attempted in a horse with drug refractory atrial fibrillation. A temporary pacing catheter and two defibrillation catheters were inserted transvenously into the right ventricular apex, the right atrium and the pulmonary artery, respectively. Under general anaesthesia 100, 200, 300 and 360 J monophasic shocks were delivered between both defibrillation catheters but sinus rhythm could not be restored. Immediately after the 200, 300 and 360 J shock, transient third-degree atrioventricular block occurred for a period of, respectively, 15, 40 and 55 s. These periods of profound bradycardia were corrected by temporary right ventricular pacing until spontaneous conduction resumed. It is concluded that temporary right ventricular pacing should be available during electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in horses.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15993796/