Veterinarians at Cornell University are reviving a procedure to treat horses with atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Called transvenous electrical cardioversion (TVEC), the procedure involves guiding a three-foot catheter through the right jugular vein to the horse’s heart, where electrodes shock the heart back into normal rhythm.
According to an article in the Cornell Chronicle, the procedure was offered until five years ago when the catheters went off the market. Now that they’re available again, TVEC is an alternative to quinidine, a drug that can reverse irregular heartbeat in about 85 percent of treated horses but comes with possible side effects.
“The most difficult part of the procedure for us is to guide the catheter,” Cornell veterinary cardiologist Romain Pariaut told the Chronicle. “In horses, it’s a long path to the heart from the outside.”
To read more about AFib and TVEC in horses, click the link below:
Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.