Florida veterinary school pioneers canine heart surgery program

Michael Aherne, MVB (Hons 1), GradDipVetStud, MS, MANZCVS (Small Animal Surgery), DACVIM (Cardiology); Darcy Adin, DVM; and Katsuhiro Matsuura, DVM, PhD, members of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s open heart surgery team. They are posing with their first patient, George, held by his owner, Kimberley David (second from the right) before George’s discharge on August 28^th. Adin holds Louise, David’s companion during George’s hospital stay. (Photo by Sarah Carey)

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine (UF) announced the launch of its open-heart surgery program for dogs. This program is not only one of its kind within the United States, but it is also the only one that offers mitral valve repair.

"We are thrilled that we were able to hire Dr Katsuhiro Matsuura as a faculty member here at UF,” said Darcy Adin, DVM, program director, in an organizational release.¹ “Dr Matsuura is a skilled veterinary cardiac surgeon, and he brings his expertise in canine open heart surgery to UF, allowing us to surgically treat dogs with mitral valve disease here in the States without the need to travel overseas.”

According to the organizational release,¹ the program is run by Katsuhiro Matsuura, DVM, PhD, who joined the faculty this past July. He has performed over 100 successful mitral valve repairs with a specialized surgical team when practicing in Japan with a success rate of over 90%.¹ Now at UF, Matsuura and the team at UF Small Animal Hospital’s open heart surgery team are performing 3 to 4 of these surgeries per month.

“Making this program successful involves an incredible amount of teamwork within the hospital and could not occur without the dedication and collaboration of everyone involved,” explained Adin. “Veterinary doctor and technician teams from cardiology, anesthesiology, perfusion, the intensive care unit and the operating rooms all work together closely and have been key to our success.”

Dogs must have several tests done, whether at UF or a different specialty hospital, to determine if they are eligible for this program or not. The tests required are:²

• 3-view thoracic radiographs
• 6-lead Electrocardiogram
• Abdominal radiographs
• Abdominal ultrasound performed by a board radiologist or radiology resident that is supervised by a boarded radiologist.
• Blood pressure
• Blood typing
• Complete blood count
• Chemistry panel
• C-reactive protein
• Coagulation profile
• Echocardiography performed by either a boarded cardiologist or cardiology resident who is supervised by a boarded cardiologist.
• Urinalysis

Heart disease affects 10% of dogs during their lifetime with 80% of those dogs having heart disease due to mitral valve insufficiency.³ This is more common in smaller dog breeds than bigger dogs, such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, fox terrier, cocker spaniel, Dachshund, miniature schnauzer, miniature poodle, Pomeranian, Pekingese, toy poodle, and Yorkie.

“We are excited that UF is now one of these centers, providing this definitive treatment option for dogs with mitral valve disease,” Adin said.

References

1. College launches open heart surgery program for dogs. University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. News release. September 27, 2023. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/2023/09/27/uf-college-of-veterinary-medicine-launches-open-heart-surgery-program-for-dogs/
2. Surgical repair of the mitral valve. University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://smallanimal.vethospital.ufl.edu/clinical-services/cardiology/surgical-repair-of-the-mitral-valve/
3. Mitral valve disease in dogs. VCA Animal Hospitals. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/mitral-valve-disease-in-dogs