Implantation of a dual-chamber, rate-adaptive pacemaker in a horse with suspected sick sinus syndrome.
Abstract: A five-year-old gelding suffered syncope at the end of a period of exercise. A 24-hour electrocardiogram recording revealed intermittent pauses in the sinus rhythm of up to 10 seconds, indicating sinus node disease; the pauses occurred repeatedly, particularly after exercise. A dual-chamber, rate-adaptive pacemaker was successfully implanted, which prevented excessive postexercise bradycardia and syncope, and allowed the horse to return to work.
Publication Date: 2002-11-27 PubMed ID: 12448492DOI: 10.1136/vr.151.18.541Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Case Reports
- Journal Article
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- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research focuses on the treatment of a horse suffering from a suspected case of sick sinus syndrome, a condition affecting the rhythm of the heart. The study details the successful implementation of a dual-chamber, rate-adaptive pacemaker that eliminated symptoms of the syndrome and facilitated the horse’s return to normal activity.
Introduction and Symptoms
- The study revolves around a five-year-old gelding horse that experienced fainting spells or syncope, specifically following a session of physical exercise. These incidences led to a suspicion of a health problem related to the rhythm of the horse’s heart.
Diagnosis
- The diagnostic tool used in this investigation was a 24-hour electrocardiogram recording. This measurement assists with the detection of irregularities in heart rhythmic pattern or sinus rhythm.
- The electrocardiogram in this context revealed the occurrence of intermittent pauses in the sinus rhythm of the gelding, lasting up to 10 seconds. These periods of inactivity implied a disorder of the sinus node, the heart’s natural pacemaker which initiates heart beats.
- These pauses, signaling a case of sick sinus syndrome, were frequently recorded post-exercise. Sick sinus syndrome is a collection of heart rhythm disorders or arrhythmias.
Treatment
- Treatment involved the implantation of a dual-chamber, rate-adaptive pacemaker in the horse. This kind of pacemaker can simultaneously manage the pace of both the upper and lower chambers of the heart, adjusting the heart rate depending on the body’s needs. This device is regularly used in human patients diagnosed with similar health issues.
- The pacemaker regulated the heart rhythm, preventing the excessive slowing of the heart rate or bradycardia, and resultant syncope the horse had been experiencing following exercise.
Conclusion
- The treatment was considered successful as after the implantation of the pacemaker, the gelding horse was able to return to its routine physical activity. This indicates that the pacemaker was effective in managing and eliminating the observed symptoms of the sick sinus syndrome.
Cite This Article
APA
van Loon G, Fonteyne W, Rottiers H, Tavernier R, Deprez P.
(2002).
Implantation of a dual-chamber, rate-adaptive pacemaker in a horse with suspected sick sinus syndrome.
Vet Rec, 151(18), 541-545.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.151.18.541 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bradycardia / etiology
- Bradycardia / prevention & control
- Bradycardia / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Male
- Pacemaker, Artificial / veterinary
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Sick Sinus Syndrome / therapy
- Sick Sinus Syndrome / veterinary
- Syncope / etiology
- Syncope / prevention & control
- Syncope / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Heun F, Niebuhr T, Gutierrez Bautista A, Wiedmann F, Verhaar N, Kästner S, Feige K, Schmidt C. Treatment of a Paroxysmal Atrioventricular Block by Implantation of a Bipolar, Single-Chamber Cardiac Pacemaker in a Donkey. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 27;13(17).
- Nissen SD, Saljic A, Kjeldsen ST, Jespersen T, Hopster-Iversen C, Buhl R. Cartilaginous Intrusion of the Atrioventricular Node in a Quarter Horse with a High Burden of Second-Degree AV Block and Collapse: A Case Report. Animals (Basel) 2022 Oct 24;12(21).
- De Lange L, Van Steenkiste G, Vernemmen I, Vera L, Cromheeke KMC, Walser U, Meert H, Decloedt A, van Loon G. Successful application of closed loop stimulation pacemakers with remote monitoring in 3 miniature donkeys with syncope. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Nov;35(6):2920-2925.
- Sedlinská M, Kabeš R, Novák M, Kološ F, Melková P. Single-Chamber Cardiac Pacemaker Implantation in a Donkey with Complete AV Block: A Long-Term Follow-Up. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 9;11(3).
- Luethy D, Slack J, Kraus MS, Gelzer AR, Habecker P, Johnson AL. Third-Degree Atrioventricular Block and Collapse Associated with Eosinophilic Myocarditis in a Horse. J Vet Intern Med 2017 May;31(3):884-889.
- Avison A, Gelzer AR, Reef VB, Wulster Bills KB, de Solis CN, Kraus MS, Slack J, Stefanovski D, Deacon LJ, Underwood C. Twenty-four hour continuous transvenous temporary right ventricular pacing in healthy horses. J Vet Intern Med 2024 May-Jun;38(3):1751-1764.
- Gómez-Torres F, Ballesteros-Acuña L, Ruíz-Sauri A. Histopathological changes in the electrical conduction of cardiac nodes after acute myocardial infarction in dogs and horses, compared with findings in humans: A histological, morphometrical, and immunohistochemical study. Vet World 2023 Oct;16(10):2173-2185.
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