Feline Cardiac Emergencies

Cardiac emergencies are common in the veterinary ER and like most things involving cats - cardiac issues present special challenges. The most common cardiac emergencies in cats are feline atrial thromboembolism (FATE), congestive heart failure (CHF), and arrhythmias. We will review cardiac anatomy and physiology before moving on to discuss the specific disease processes. We will examine the difficulties faced in cats with cardiac disease, and how to manage them.

At the end of this lecture the participant should be able to:

● Identify common presentations seen in cats with cardiac emergencies

● Review the cardiac emergencies most often seen in the ER

● Understand care and management of the feline cardiac patient