Use of pimobendan in 170 cats (2006-2010).
OBJECTIVE
To describe the therapeutic use of pimobendan in cats, describe the patient population to which it was administered, document potential side effects and report the clinical course following administration of pimobendan in conjunction with standard heart failure therapy. It is hypothesized that cats with advanced heart disease including congestive heart failure from a variety of causes will tolerate pimobendan with a minimum of side effects when used in treatment in conjunction with a variety of other medications.


METHODS
One hundred and seventy client owned cats with naturally occurring heart disease, one hundred and sixty four of which had congestive heart failure. Medical records were reviewed and owners and referring veterinarians were contacted for follow-up data. Data collected included pimobendan dose, other medications administered concurrently, data collected at physical examination, presence or absence of heart failure, adverse effects, classification of heart disease, echocardiographic data and survival time. The data were analyzed for significance between the initial visit and any follow-up visits.


RESULTS
All cats were treated with pimobendan. The median pimobendan dose was 0.24 mg/kg q 12 h. Pimobendan was used in combination with multiple concurrent medications including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, diuretics and anti-thrombotics. Five cats (3.0%) had potential side effects associated with pimobendan. One cat (0.6%) had presumed side effects severe enough to discontinue pimobendan use. Median survival time for 164 cats with congestive heart failure after initiation of pimobendan was 151 days (range 1-870).


CONCLUSIONS
Pimobendan appears to be well tolerated in cats with advanced heart disease when used with a variety of concurrent medications. Randomized controlled studies need to be performed to accurately assess whether it is efficacious for treatment of congestive heart failure in cats.
Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital, Woburn, MA 01801, USA. j_macgregor@yahoo.com
John M
JM
Macgregor
John E
JE
Rush
Nancy J
NJ
Laste
Rebecca L
RL
Malakoff
Suzanne M
SM
Cunningham
Natalie
N
Aronow
Daniel J
DJ
Hall
Justin
J
Williams
Lori L
LL
Price
D000818:Animals; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D002415:Cats; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011724:Pyridazines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D011724:Pyridazines; C041648:pimobendan