Open AccessLong‐term Intrinsic Rhythm Evaluation in Dogs with Atrioventricular Block
Author(s) -
Santilli R.A.,
Porteiro Vázquez D.M.,
Vezzosi T.,
Perego M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of veterinary internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1939-1676
pISSN - 0891-6640
DOI - 10.1111/jvim.13661
Subject(s) - medicine , atrioventricular block , cardiology , atrioventricular node , atrial fibrillation , conduction abnormalities , etiology , abnormality , medical record , electrocardiography , tachycardia , psychiatry
Background Atrioventricular block ( AVB ) is a conduction abnormality along the atrioventricular node that, depending on etiology, may lead to different outcomes. Objectives To evaluate variations of intrinsic rhythm ( IR ) in dogs that underwent pacemaker implantation ( PMI ). Animals Medical records of 92 dogs affected by 3rd degree atrioventricular block (3 AVB ), advanced 2nd degree AVB (2 AVB ), paroxysmal 3 AVB , 2:1 2 AVB , or 3 AVB with atrial fibrillation ( AF ) were retrospectively reviewed. Method The patient IR was documented with telemetry on the day of 1 – (95% CI , 1–2), 33 – (95% CI , 28–35), 105 – (95% CI , 98–156), and 275 days (95% CI , 221–380) after PMI . According to AVB grade at different examinations, AVB was defined as progressed, regressed, or unchanged. Results In 48 dogs, 3 AVB remained unchanged, whereas in 7 it regressed. Eight cases of 2 AVB progressed, 3 regressed and 2 remained unchanged. Eight cases of paroxysmal 3 AVB progressed and 3 remained unchanged. Four dogs affected by 2:1 2 AVB progressed, 2 regressed, and 1 remained unchanged. All cases with 3 AVB with AF remained unchanged. Regression occurred within 30 days after PMI , whereas progression was documented at any time. Variations in IR were associated with type of AVB ( P < .03) and time of follow‐up ( P < .0001). Conclusions and clinical importance The degree of AVB assessed at the time of PMI should not be considered definitive because more than one‐third of the cases in this study either progressed or regressed. Additional studies would be necessary to elucidate possible causes for transient AVB in dogs.