(NU20) Characterization of Cardiac Disease in Cats with Ureteral Obstruction Undergoing subcutaneous Ureteral Bypass Device Placement

Abstract: Background – Little information exists on the prevalence and outcomes of cardiac disease (CD) in cats presented with benign feline ureteral obstruction (FUO) treated by SUB device placement. Objectives – Characterize CD, evaluate perioperative and long-term outcomes, and determine the ability of echocardiography to predict risk of fluid overload (FO) in cats presented for SUB placement. Animals – 104 cats presented for SUB placement between 2010 and 2022 at the CHUV. Methods – Retrospective evaluation of medical records included signalment, examination, FO, survival time, serum creatinine pre-operatively and post-operatively, and echocardiographic variables. Cats were classified as: no echocardiogram [NE], presence of CD [ED+] or absence of CD [ED-]. Results – Echocardiography was performed in 71% of cats and prevalence of CD was 46%. Mean survival time of ED+ was significantly shorter (p = 0,015) than NE. ED- had a significantly greater decrease in serum creatinine from admission to discharge, and 1 month post-operatively compared to ED+ or NE. FO occurred in 37% of cats and survival time was significantly shorter than cats without FO (739 ± 250 days vs 1106 ± 213 days; p = 0.024). There was no correlation between LA/Ao ratio nor LAmax value and the development of FO (p=0.151 and p=0.710), nor survival time (p=0.393 and p=0.065). Conclusions and clinical importance – CD is a common comorbidity and may negatively influence post-operative recovery of renal function and survival in cats presented for SUB placement. Measurement of LA/Ao ratio and LAmax values were not predictive of FO.