Dexmedetomidine infusion as part of anaesthetic management in a dog with atrial fibrillation and heart failure undergoing transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus closure

ABSTRACT

This case report details the anaesthetic management of a 7‐year‐old German Shepherd dog diagnosed with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), atrial fibrillation and previously decompensated left‐sided congestive heart failure. After medical stabilisation, the dog underwent transarterial PDA closure using an Amplatz Canine Duct Occluder. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol, lidocaine and midazolam, and maintained with isoflurane combined with a dexmedetomidine constant rate infusion (CRI). Intraoperative monitoring detected a Branham reflex during ductal occlusion, which required minimal intervention. The procedure and recovery were uneventful with no recurrence of pulmonary oedema during hospitalisation. This case highlights the successful use of a balanced anaesthetic protocol incorporating dexmedetomidine CRI in a high‐risk cardiac patient undergoing minimally invasive PDA occlusion.