SEDATION AND ANESTHESIA IN DOGS AND CATS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE

The purpose of this study was to review the incidence of cardiac arrhy thmias in 137 anesthetized dogs and 13 anesthetized cats with congenit al or acquired heart disease that were referred for correction of foll owing procedures: patent ductus arteriosus (PDA-ligation, 28%), cardia c catherization with angiogramme and angioplasty (22%), pacemaker impl antation (18%), exploratory lateral thoracotomy (8.7%), correction of right aortic arch (ring anomaly, 3.3), correction of subvalvular aorti c stenosis (2.7%), correction of PDA with coil in patients with mitral regurgitation and congestive heart failure (2%), pericardectomy and r emoval of heartbase tumor (2%), pericardectomy and removal of heartbas e tumor (2%), and palliative surgery for ventricular septal defect (VS D, 0.7%). The anesthetic plan considered the risks of anesthesia based upon the pathophysiology of cardiac lesions and the anesthetic drug e ffects on the cardiovascular system. Recommendations are made for dogs with decreased cardiac contractility, cardiac disease with volume ove rload, cardiac disease with pressure overload, and pericardial tampona de. The percentages of animals and their associated cardiac arrhythmia s after premedication and during and after anesthesia were sinusbradyc ardia (15.3%), sinustachycardia (3.3%), atrial flutter (0.7%), atrial fibrillation (0.7%), premature ventricular contraction (14%), and vent ricular tachycardia (1.3%). Prompt therapy was given to a percentage o f animals in order to control arrhythmia and support cardiovascular sy stem, bu using atropin or glycopyrrolate (14%), lidocaine (17.3%), and dopamine (14.7%). Cardiac arrest occured in 5 dogs (3.6%); 3 and 2 of those were in asystole (2.2%) and ventricular fibrillation (1.4%), re spectively. All dogs were intubated at the time of the incidence and w ere resuscitated, using standard techniques of cardiopulmonary reanima tion.