Reversible Myocardial Failure in a Cat: A Case Report

A three-year-old neutered male mixed-breed cat was referred for tachypnea, decreased appetite, and lethargy due to a pleural effusion secondary to myocardial failure. Severe left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) dilation, extremely decreased fractional shortening of the LV, and spontaneous echocardiographic contrast in the LA appendage were noted on an echocardiogram. Medical treatments included furosemide, pimobendan, benazepril, clopidogrel, and taurine supplementation. During follow-up visits, tachypnea was not observed, and his activities and appetite returned to normal. Echocardiography showed normal LA and LV chambers and increased LV fractional shortening. The point-of-care test result for N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was abnormal during the first two visits (day 1 and day 16), and the concentration of plasma NT-proBNP was 1500[Formula: see text]pmol/L and 349[Formula: see text]pmol/L, respectively. On the third and fourth visits (day 35 and day 70), the point-of-care test result for NT-proBNP was normal and corresponded with normal echocardiography findings.