The Large Animal Clinic cardiology service marked a significant milestone last month with the 100th successful cardioversion of a horse suffering from atrial fibrillation — one of the most common performance limiting condition in horses — using a procedure developed at OVC. Transvenous electrical cardioversion was developed by Drs. Kim McGurrin,Peter Physick-Sheard and Dan Kenney as a treatment alternative to the drug quinidine. It has become the treatment of choice at OVC due to the higher efficacy,lower risk of adverse effects, and the ability to quickly return the horse to exercise. The 100th horse was successfully cardioverted on April 27. The procedure now has a success rate of 99%.
- Meg Pelton