Pacific Northwest Pet Emergency & Specialty Center (PACWVETS)

Cardiology Diagnostics and Treatments available at Pacific Northwest Pet ER & Specialty Center:

• Echocardiograms

• OFA exams

• Blood pressure

• Thoracic radiographs (chest x-ray)

• Heart failure management

• ECG and 24 ECG/Holter services

• Occlusion of Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)

• Balloon valvuloplasty

• Transvenous pacemaker

• Epicardial pacemakers

• Cardiac stents

Interventional Cardiology at Pacific Northwest Pet ER & Specialty Center:

Interventional cardiology is a sub-specialty within veterinary medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases using minimally invasive procedures. Interventional cardiology techniques involve using specialized tools and imaging technology to access the heart and its blood vessels through small incisions or catheters, without the need for open-heart surgery. Interventional cardiology procedures are typically used to treat conditions such as congenital heart defects, heart failure, vascular anomalies, and certain types of arrhythmias.

Some of the common interventional cardiology procedures performed in animals include:

• Balloon valvuloplasty: a procedure to open up narrowed heart valves using a catheter with a balloon at its tip.

• Pacemaker implantation: a procedure to implant a device that helps regulate the heartbeat in animals with abnormal heart rhythms.

• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) occlusion: a procedure to close a congenital heart defect that causes abnormal blood flow between the aorta and pulmonary artery.

• Transcatheter closure of septal defects: a procedure to close holes in the heart's walls that cause abnormal blood flow.

Veterinary interventional cardiology procedures have several advantages over traditional open-heart surgeries, including low complication rates, less pain, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery times. These procedures are performed by veterinary cardiologists who have undergone a residency for specialized training with interventional cardiology and have access to advanced imaging technology.

Interventional procedures performed by our cardiologists include:

• Transvenous and epicardial pacemaker implantation and temporary pacing

• PDA occlusion

• High-pressure, cutting, and standard pulmonic balloon valvuloplasty

• Tricuspid valve stenosis/dysplasia balloon valvuloplasty

• Cor triatriatum dexter intervention

• Aortic stenosis balloon valvuloplasty

• Angiography for complex vascular anomalies

• Heartworm extraction

• Electrocardioversion

• Intravascular stent placement Hepatic shunt coiling