One Polish Center’s Experience of Catheter Ablation for Cardiac Arrhythmias in Dogs

Radiofrequency catheter ablation is a minimally invasive electrophysiological procedure that utilizes radiofrequency energy to induce targeted thermal injury within arrhythmogenic myocardial tissue, thereby eliminating the substrate responsible for rapid and irregular cardiac rhythm disturbances. Radiofrequency ablation is a method widely used in human medicine for the permanent treatment of arrhythmias. In veterinary medicine, there are only a few centers worldwide that use this treatment method in dogs. This article presents the experiences of a Polish center in treating supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias using this method. The first electrophysiological study and ablation were performed using an analog electrophysiological system; subsequent procedures were performed with the aid of a computerized system, and the last three procedures were performed using a 3D electroanatomical system. A total of 14 radiofrequency ablation procedures were performed on dogs weighing 10 to 33 kg, aged 9 months to 9 years, of various sexes and breeds. Fifty percent of the dogs that underwent ablation had both clinical and echocardiographic signs of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. Three dogs required a re-ablation procedure. Complete elimination of clinically significant arrhythmias was achieved in 13 of 14 dogs, while one dog showed partial procedural success. No significant or permanent complications were observed in any of the dogs. Radiofrequency ablation procedures for arrhythmias are effective and safe.