Cat among world’s first to receive cutting-edge PDA procedure

A Warrington cat has become one of the first in the world to undergo a cutting-edge heart procedure.

After suffering from sickness episodes, two-year-old Bear was taken to his local vets where a loud heart murmur was identified.

The cat was subsequently referred to Chestergates Veterinary Specialists after a cardiologist’s initial diagnostics revealed changes in his heart consistent with the congenital heart defect patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Further diagnostic testing at Chestergates including echocardiography showed that while Bear was not yet in heart failure, his heart was already beginning to show the strain of the PDA.

Although PDAs in cats are said to be traditionally corrected via complex, invasive open-chest surgery, Bear underwent a minimally invasive alternative in which clinicians guided an Amplatzer vascular plug II device via a small catheter, placed through the jugular vein in his neck, directly into his heart to seal the PDA.

‘Ideal candidate’

The keyhole procedure, which left only a 3mm surgical wound, can be performed in animals as small as 1.5kg, so Bear – weighing 4.9kg – was described as the “ideal candidate”.

It was led by Chestergates clinical director Liz Bode, a European specialist in small animal cardiology and RCVS specialist in veterinary cardiology, supported by the hospital’s anaesthesia team, with real-time imaging confirming successful placement of the device.

After being kept overnight, a scan the following morning showed Bear’s heart had already begun returning to a more normal size – said to strongly indicate “extremely low” long‑term risk of heart failure – and he was discharged home within 24 hours after the procedure.

Dr Bode said: “This technique has only been reported in three cats worldwide.

“We are delighted that we were able to offer Bear a minimally invasive option and even more thrilled with how well he has recovered.”