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In this Episode:
Series 1 Episode Guide:
Super Vets
Harry had a heart murmur – an abnormal sound detected when listening to the heart with a stethoscope. It was discovered by his local vet when he was three months old. Murmurs are caused by turbulent blood flow through the heart and often indicate something structurally wrong with the heart. Further examination is required to determine if the murmur is significant. Some heart problems cause a murmur but do not affect quality of life or life expectancy. Others require treatment if the patient is to survive. Some are caused by conditions that cannot be cured, although medication may improve quality and length of life.
In order to find out exactly what was wrong and how best to manage his condition, Harry’s local vet referred him to the specialist cardiology team at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals.
An initial investigation included radiographs and an ultrasound examination of the heart. It was the ultrasound examination that revealed a rare condition known as a double-chambered right ventricle. Due to its rarity there are few accurate details on the number of cats that can live a normal life with the condition, but it is known that many develop heart failure as a consequence of the defect and eventually die as a result. As Harry was showing no evidence of heart failure at this stage, he was allowed home although his condition was regularly reviewed.
Some months later, Harry was returned because his condition had deteriorated. He was less active and had developed breathing difficulties. Examination revealed an accumulation of fluid in his chest as a direct result of heart disease. The fluid was drained with a needle and syringe and medication was prescribed to delay further build-up.
Surgery was mentioned to Harry’s owners at this point, as was the fact that it would involve major risk. There were no reported cases of a cat in Harry’s condition surviving surgery. But his owners also had to consider the inevitability of death from heart failure if surgery was not attempted. For the time being though, Harry’s breathing eased and he was taken home.
Late in July, Harry was rushed to his local vet. His breathing had taken a severe turn for the worse – so severe that his owners and the vet talked about putting him to sleep. Following discussions with the team at the QMHA, it was decided that if Harry could be stabilised enough to survive the journey, cardiology and emergency critical care teams would be on standby to prepare him for ground-breaking surgery.
Once again, fluid was drained from Harry’s chest and he was kept alive in an oxygen cage – putting an oxygen mask on a cat isn’t an option. Over the weekend his condition slowly stabilised, allowing anaesthesia and surgery to be undertaken on the Monday.
The planned surgery was radical. A section of the wall of Harry’s heart would be removed, and along with it, most of the obstruction inside the right ventricle – creating space for the blood to flow around any remaining abnormal tissue. 
The hole in the heart wall would be patched to prevent the blood escaping. A piece of Harry’s pericardium would be used to create the patch. The pericardium is a sac-like structure that covers the heart, and is very tough yet very flexible.
The technique is one that has been used successfully for many dogs with related problems caused by obstruction to blood leaving the heart. Cats, however, provide additional challenges, with their small size and small blood volume. Due to the risks of potentially fatal blood loss, several potential blood donors who had the same blood type as Harry were on standby throughout the surgery and immediately after so fresh blood could be transfused into Harry should the need arise.
Once Harry was anaesthetised, an angiogram was performed. A catheter was passed down the vein in his neck until it reached the heart. A dye that is visible on radiographs was then injected. The dye outlined the interior of Harry’s heart, so the surgeon could decide exactly which piece of tissue to remove.
After the operation, Harry was placed back in an oxygen cage in the Intensive Care Unit. He was closely monitored overnight. The next few hours would be critical. No one knew how well he’d recover, or if he’d recover at all.
“I was desperately trying to hold on to any hope that Harry might get through this operation, no cat had ever survived it before. I knew the odds were stacked against him.” Sally Dolan. (Harry's mother)
Find out what happened during the next episode: Harry - recovery from surgery
