Meet Cocopop - a puppy that needed heart surgery.
Cocopop presented via the VSS cardiology service and was transferred to surgery for ligation of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), as she was too tiny for a minimally invasive coil placement. A PDA is a common cardiac abnormality that results from failure of this structure to close as it should after birth. The result is that blood is shunted, via the ductus, back to the pulmonary vasculature. As a result, the lungs become over-perfused and left-sided congestive heart failure can develop as a result. Without closure of the ductus, only 36% of dogs survive to 1 year of age. If you can ligate the vessel without tearing it, animals have an excellent prognosis for long-term survival. If the vessels tears during dissection, mortality rates can vary depending on surgeon experience (take-home - be very careful when dissecting around the vessel). I performed a left lateral 4th intercostal thoracotomy to locate this PDA in this case. Luckily, the dissection went well without tearing and 2-0 silk suture was used for ligation. Cocopop recovered well and is expected to have an excellent prognosis.
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