Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Quality of life in dogs after mitral valve repair surgery
By Pennington, Catrina et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2022·1Small Animal Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of the Functional Evaluation of Cardiac Health questionnaire to assess health-related quality of life before and after mitral valve repair in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 54 dogs with heart problems caused by myxomatous mitral valve disease underwent surgery to repair their mitral valve. Owners filled out a questionnaire to assess their pets' quality of life before the surgery and at various points afterward. The results showed that the dogs' quality of life significantly improved after the surgery, with noticeable benefits lasting up to a year. This means that if your dog is facing similar heart issues, mitral valve repair could lead to a much better life for them.
People also search for: dog heart surgery recovery · myxomatous mitral valve disease treatment · improving dog quality of life after surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in health-related quality of life up to 12 months after surgery in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease that undergo mitral valve repair. ANIMALS: 54 dogs that underwent mitral valve repair at a United Kingdom referral hospital. PROCEDURES: Health-related quality of life was assessed with a previously validated, owner-completed questionnaire before and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in total score (corresponding to reduced negative impact of cardiac disease on quality of life) between the preoperative timepoint and all postoperative timepoints. A significant decrease in total score was also demonstrated between the 1- and 3-month timepoints, but no additional significant changes in total score between adjacent timepoints were identified beyond 3 months after surgery. Significant improvements in individual question scores were found up to 12 months after surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Health-related quality of life was significantly improved following mitral valve repair in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease and this improvement persisted for up to a year after surgery. These results may be useful when counseling owners of dogs considered candidates for this procedure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35594202/