Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with swollen neck treated with rivaroxaban for pacemaker blood
By Lozada Miranda, B et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2019·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of rivaroxaban for treatment of cranial vena cava syndrome secondary to transvenous pacemaker lead thrombosis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old Brussels griffon was brought in with swelling in the neck three months after getting a pacemaker. Tests showed a blood clot near the pacemaker was blocking blood flow, and the dog also had kidney issues. The vet started treatment with rivaroxaban, clopidogrel, and enalapril, which helped reduce the swelling within two weeks. Follow-up exams showed the blood clot was getting smaller, even though the kidney problems were still present. This case highlights how rivaroxaban can be effective for treating blood clots related to pacemaker leads in dogs.
People also search for: dog neck swelling after pacemaker · rivaroxaban for dogs · dog blood clot treatment · Brussels griffon pacemaker complications · dog kidney disease symptoms
Abstract
A six-year-old Brussels griffon was presented for cervical swelling three months after implantation of a transvenous pacemaker. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated a thrombus associated with the pacemaker lead, partially obstructing right atrial inflow. The laboratory findings were consistent with protein-losing nephropathy. Initial medical therapy consisted of rivaroxaban (0.68 mg/kg orally every 24 hours), clopidogrel (2.5 mg/kg orally every 24 hours), and enalapril (0.5 mg/kg orally every 12 hours). Resolution of cervical and thoracic edema was noted within two weeks of initiating therapy. Recheck echocardiography two months and one year later revealed decreasing thrombus size despite worsening proteinuria. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented use of rivaroxaban for successful medical treatment of cranial vena cava syndrome caused by intracardiac pacemaker lead thrombosis in a hypercoagulable patient.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31437785/