Cats with thermal burn injuries from California wildfires show echocardiographic evidence of myocardial thickening and intracardiac thrombi

Abstract

Recent increases in the prevalence and severity of wildfires in some regions have resulted in an increased frequency of veterinary burn patients. few studies exist regarding diagnostics and management of burn wounds in veterinary patients and current knowledge is extrapolated from human literature and research models. Post-burn cardiac injury is a common finding and predictor of mortality in human patients and echocardiography is an important tool in monitoring response to therapy and predicting outcome. We describe the notable findings from cats naturally exposed to California wildfires in 2017 and 2018. Domestic cats (n = 51) sustaining burn injuries from the Tubbs (2017) and Camp (2018) wildfires were prospectively enrolled and serial echocardiograms and cardiac troponin I evaluations were performed. Echocardiograms of affected cats revealed a high prevalence of myocardial thickening (18/51) and spontaneous echocardiographic contrast and thrombi formation (16/51). Fortytwo cats survived to discharge and 6 died or were euthanized due to a possible cardiac cause. For the first time, we describe cardiovascular and coagulation effects of thermal burn and smoke inhalation in cats. further studies in veterinary burn victims are warranted and serve as a translational research opportunity for uncovering novel disease mechanisms and therapies.

The Feline Cardiomyopathies: 2. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

“…Antecedent events are common, with the most frequent being an anesthetic event or trauma, notably thermal burn injury. 62 Corticosteroid administration is a recognized antecedent event in cats being presented in heart failure, and this is true for both TMT and HCM (see Part 3). 6,61,64 LV wall thickness normalizes over 2-5 months.…”

“…65 Chemotherapy can result in resolution of the thickening. [61][62][63] The principal case series describing this entity noted LA enlargement and left heart failure at presentation, but greater awareness may reveal milder cases in the future. 61 As with HCM, male domestic shorthairs are most commonly affected.…”

Reversible linksventrikuläre Muskelhypertrophie und Herzversagen durch vermutete Myokarditis bei einer Katze im Zuge einer FLUTD

“…In einer Studie zu kardialen Veränderungen von Katzen mit Verbrennungen und Rauchvergiftungen im Zuge der vor kurzem aufgetretenen großen kalifornischen Waldbrände wurden echokardiografisch neben weiteren Veränderungen in 35 % der Fälle myokardiale Verdickungen nachgewiesen. Eine echokardiografische Kontrolle bei überlebenden Patienten erfolgte nicht [19].…”

Impacts from Wildfires on Livestock Health and Production: Producer Perspectives

“…Few to no health impacts on cattle were reported in the review, however, there were no studies available directly evaluating the impacts of smoke exposure in these animals [ 52 ]. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, recently published a study on cats hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation following the 2017–2018 California wildfires; the cats were shown to have significant cardiovascular changes based on serial echocardiograms [ 53 ]. Rhesus macaques housed at the California National Primate Research Center and naturally exposed to wildfire smoke were reported to have pregnancy losses following heavy smoke exposure [ 54 ].…”