Transarterial correction of patent ductus arteriosus in small dogs with the Amplatz™ Vascular Plug 4: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Determine if the Amplatz™ Vascular Plug 4 (AVP4) can be used to occlude left-to-right shunting patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in dogs with inadequate arterial vascular access for the Amplatz Canine Duct Occluder (ACDO). ANIMALS: Six adolescent dogs with PDA whose femoral artery was too small for insertion of a 4 Fr vascular access sheath. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Standard femoral arterial vascular access and a 4 Fr diagnostic catheter were used to deploy an appropriately sized AVP4 into the PDA of each dog. Successful occlusion was defined as no residual ductal flow and determined by color Doppler echocardiography and angiography. RESULTS: The AVP4 was successfully deployed, and complete occlusion of the PDA was achieved in all dogs. There were no complications encountered in any of the dogs. CONCLUSIONS: The AVP4 is a viable option for the correction of PDA in dogs with inadequate arterial vascular access for the ACDO and should be considered as one of the options available for PDA correction in this challenging animal population.

Valor prognóstico da variabilidade da frequência cardíaca e da eletrocardiografia ambulatorial em cães Boxer com cardiomiopatia arritmogênica do ventrículo direito / Prognostic value of heart rate variability and Holter monitoring in Boxer dogs with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

A cardiomiopatia arritmogênica do ventrículo direito (CAVD) é uma importante causa de morte súbita em cães da raça Boxer. A validação de fatores prognósticos para essa doença auxiliaria na detecção de animais mais gravemente afetados e sua exclusão dos programas de reprodução. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o valor prognóstico da presença de manifestações clínicas, dos índices de variabilidade de frequência cardíaca (VFC) e das arritmias supraventriculares ou ventriculares registradas à monitorização eletrocardiográfica com Holter na sobrevida de cães Boxer em diferentes estágios da CAVD. Essas variáveis foram analisadas, de forma prospectiva, em 69 cães Boxer, divididos em cinco grupos: cães Boxer controle (grupo CB, <50 VPC/24 horas, n=28), cães Boxer suspeitos (grupo SB, 50 a 300 VPC/24 horas, n=8), cães Boxer com CAVD (grupo ARVC, >300 VPC/24 horas, n=19), cães Boxer com CAVD e disfunção sistólica sem insuficiência cardíaca congestiva (grupo SDB sem ICC, n=6) e com ICC (grupo SDB com ICC, n=8). A análise estatística compreendeu teste ANOVA, correlação de Pearson e análise de riscos proporcionais de Cox. Comparando-se com o grupo CB, não foi encontrada diminuição nos índices de VFC nos grupos SB, ARVC ou SDB sem ICC; por outro lado, o grupo SDB com ICC apresentou diminuição desses índices. Não houve relação entre os índices de VFC e a morte de origem cardíaca; porém, a presença de síncopes com ou sem sinais clínicos de ICC e o número de episódios de taquicardia ventricular (TV) correlacionaram-se com a sobrevida dos animais. Estes resultados permitem concluir que a presença de sinais clínicos de ICC, a presença de síncopes e o número de TV ao Holter apresentam valor prognóstico de sobrevida em cães Boxer com CAVD.(AU)

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an important cause of sudden death in Boxer dogs. Validation of prognostic factors for this disease could help in detecting more severely affected animals and their exclusion from breeding programs. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prognostic significance of presence of symptoms, heart rate variability (HRV) indices and ventricular or supraventricular arrhythmias recorded by Holter monitoring on survival of Boxer dogs with ARVC at different stages. Symptoms, arrhythmias registered on Holter and five HRV indices were prospectively analyzed in 69 client-owned Boxer dogs divided into five groups: control Boxer dogs (CB group, <50 VPC/24 hours, n=28), suspicious Boxers (SB group, 50 to 300 VPC/24 hours, n=8), Boxers with ARVC (ARVC group, >300 VPC/24 hours, n=19), Boxers with ARVC and systolic dysfunction without congestive heart failure (SDB without CHF group, n=6) and with CHF (SDB with CHF group, n=8). Statistical analyses consisted of an ANOVA test, Pearson correlation and Cox's proportional hazards regression. Compared to the CB group, no decrease in HRV indices was found in SB, ARVCB or SDB without CHF groups; otherwise, SDB with CHF group had impaired indices. No relation was found between HRV indices and cardiac-related death, but the presence of syncopes with or without clinical signs of heart failure and number of ventricular tachycardia (VT), were correlated with survival. These results allow us to conclude that the presence of symptoms of heart failure, presence of syncopes and number of VT on Holter examination seem to have prognostic value in Boxer ARVC.(AU)

Cardiomiopatia arritmogênica do ventrículo direito em felino: relato de caso / Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomiopathy in a feline: case report

Felino de 3,3kg, fêmea, oito anos de idade, castrada, sem definição racial, foi atendida no Hospital Veterinário da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo (HOVET-USP), com histórico de dispneia, prostração, hiporexia e consequente emagrecimento progressivo, havia uma semana. Foram realizados exames de sangue: hemograma com contagem de plaquetas, função renal, função hepática e dosagens séricas de sódio e potássio, eletrocardiograma (ECG), radiografia torácica, ecoDopplercardiograma, e os resultados dos exames indicaram diagnóstico presuntivo de cardiomiopatia arritmogênica do ventrículo direito. O diagnóstico foi confirmado pela necropsia e pela constatação da presença de tecido fibroadiposo no miocárdio no exame histopatológico, possibilitando, assim, o relato do primeiro caso de cardiomiopatia arritmogênica do ventrículo direito, em gato, no Brasil.(AU)

A female 3.3kg feline, eight years-old, spayed, without racial definition, was submitted to the Veterinary Hospital of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo University (HOVET-USP) with dyspnea, prostration, hyporexia, and consequent progressive weight loss a week ago. Blood count with platelet count, renal and hepatic profiles, and serum sodium and potassium, chest radiography, electrocardiogram (ECG), and echocardiography were performed and diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy was assumed. The diagnosis was confirmed by necropsy findings and by the presence of fibro-fatty tissue infiltration observed in histopathology, thus featuring the first report of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in a cat in Brazil.(AU)