Isorhythmic atrioventricular dissociation detected during anesthesia in a geriatric cat.

Keisuke Sugimoto ,  Kanako Fujiwara ,  Kanako Tsuji ,  Masashi Miyazaki ,  Kosuke Kobayashi ,  Teppei Kanda

A 4.6-kg neutered male Chinchilla cat aged 11 years and 8 months was referred for CT after hepatic and splenic masses were identified on abdominal ultrasonography. On presentation, physical examination revealed no remarkable abnormalities, and preanesthetic echocardiography showed no structural cardiac disease. A preanesthetic 6-lead ECG recorded in right lateral recumbency demonstrated normal sinus rhythm at 140 beats/min with left axis deviation (mean electrical axis, −40°; reference range, 0° to 160°) and a QRS duration of 0.04 seconds (Figure 1). Serum biochemistry revealed a creatinine concentration of 2.0 mg/dL (reference range, < 1.6 mg/dL), and all other biochemical variables, including electrolytes, were within normal limits. The cat had chronic kidney disease managed with telmisartan (1 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) without any recent clinical deterioration. The preanesthetic systolic blood pressure measured using the oscillometric method was 180 mm Hg, and the cat appeared mildly stressed on handling, which may have contributed to the elevated blood pressure.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

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10.2460/javma.26.05.0378