University of Florida launches new heart surgery facility

In a groundbreaking development in veterinary medicine, the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine has unveiled an exclusive open heart surgery program for dogs. This program is the first of its kind in the United States, offering a complex procedure known as meetral valve repair.  Listen to this story

According to the University of Florida with canine degenerative meetral valve disease, the meetral valve undergoes degenerative changes such as thickening and prolapse. These changes prevent the valve from closing properly which causes the valve to leak – also known as meetral regurgitation). Meetral regurgitation can lead to enlargement of the heart and congestive heart failure which is usually manifested as difficulty breathing and coughing. Additionally, heart enlargement can lead to arrhythmias (irregular rhythms), which can cause weakness and collapse.

Although meetral valve disease leads to chronic heart failure in only 25-30% of affected dogs, this still translates to over a million dogs in the United States, making it a very important disease in veterinary medicine. 

The driving force behind this remarkable program is Dr. Katsuhiro Matsuura, a highly skilled veterinary cardiac surgeon. Dr. Matsuura brings his expertise from Japan, where he performed over 100 successful meetral valve surgical repairs with a success rate of over 90%. He joined the university as a clinical assistant professor in July 2023.

The program kicked off in late August, and the University of Florida’s open heart surgery team, under Dr. Matsuura's guidance, is currently performing three to four surgeries each month. The success of this program is a testament to the dedication and collaboration of veterinary doctors and technician teams from various specialties, including cardiology, anesthesiology and intensive care unit. 

To address this issue, surgery involves tightening the area around the meetral valve and repairing the chordae tendineae that support the valve. This surgery significantly reduces meetral regurgitation, allowing most dogs to discontinue medications and enjoy a better quality of life.

The availability of surgical meetral valve repair for dogs has been limited, as only a few veterinary surgery centers offer this highly specialized procedure. It requires a skilled surgeon and the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. Now, the University of Florida joins the ranks of these centers, offering hope and a definitive treatment option for dogs with meetral valve disease.

Dogs with advanced degenerative meetral valve disease are typically considered for open heart meetral valve surgery.  The program also requires screening tests that help further determine eligibility for surgery.

Medical management of meetral valve disease is palliative, meaning that medications do not necessarily prevent the progression of the valve thickening and dysfunction, but rather delay the onset and recurrence of congestive heart failure. Surgical repair of the meetral valve corrects the valve abnormality that leads to the valve leak (meetral regurgitation) and therefore is a definitive treatment by addressing the cause of the problem.

This development marks a new era in veterinary medicine, providing a lifeline for dogs facing meetral valve disease.