Lenny is a 3 months old puppy that had a heart murmur since birth. He was diagnosed with a congenital condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). PDA is the failure of a large blood vessel, the ductus arteriosus, to close just after birth.

This defect usually results in left sided congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema with a mortality rate of over 50% before one year of age if left untreated.

Lenny had been started on medical treatment to stabilise his symptoms since he was having trouble breathing . Once stable, he was admitted by our cardiologist team correct his defect by performing a minimally invasive procedure.

Through a small incision in one of the hind legs, a long catheter was passed into the abnormal vessel guided by fluoroscopy (video x-ray). Then a device called Amplatz vascular plug was used to stop the abnormal blood flow through the PDA.

Lenny was discharged from our hospital 2 days after the procedure to go back home with his owners. Most pets that undergo correction of a PDA have an excellent long term prognosis.