Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical removal of heartworms from right atrium in small Maltese dog
By Kuntz, C A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1996·Department of Small Animal Surgery and Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of a modified surgical approach to the right atrium for retrieval of heartworms in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old Maltese dog was brought in for treatment of heartworm disease and showed signs of lethargy and mild anemia. The vet found heartworms in several areas of the dog's heart and blood vessels. Initially, they tried a medication to kill the worms, but the dog had a severe reaction, leading to a cardiac and respiratory arrest. Instead, the vet performed a special surgery to remove the heartworms directly from the heart, which was successful with very little blood loss. After the surgery, only one heartworm remained, but it was later absorbed by the dog's body.
People also search for: dog heartworm treatment · Maltese dog lethargy · heartworm surgery in dogs
Abstract
A 2-year-old 2-kg female Maltese dog was referred for treatment of dirofilariosis and mild caval syndrome characterized by hemolysis and lethargy. Ultrasonography revealed worms within the caudal vena cava, right auricle, right ventricle, and pulmonary artery. Because of the mild clinical signs and small size of the dog, jugular venotomy was not performed, and treatment with sodium caparsolate was instituted. A markedly adverse reaction was noticed on initial injection, characterized by cardiac and respiratory arrest. Further treatment with sodium caparsolate was discontinued. Because of progression of the dog's condition surgical removal of heartworms was elected. A modified surgical approach to the right atrium was performed, using a cannula introduced through a pursestring placed in the wall of the right auricle. This technique allowed almost complete removal of heartworms with minimal blood loss. Postoperative ultrasonography revealed a single heart-worm remaining in the distal portion of the left pulmonary artery, but it was subsequently absorbed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8617624/