Mending a Broken Heart

Pacemaker implantation for animals has often been a procedure bandied around in the novelty columns of newspapers and added to the ‘special interest’ trailers of the 6pm news. The simple fact is that pacemaker implantation is a reasonably straightforward procedure; one which new SARC cardiologist Dr. Richard Woolley has completed numerous times in his cardiology training and practice.

Most people rightly believe that pacemaker implantation can be expensive and requires high levels of skill and expertise. This is generally correct, but there are some significant factors which can tip the scales in favour of proceeding with implantation.

At various times pacemakers can be obtained through human facilities at a fraction of the price of new pacemakers. Certain situations mean that replacement pacemakers with years of battery life become available for veterinary patient use. Although inappropriate for human use, these pacemakers are completely practical for veterinary small animal applications. A new pacemaker costs several thousand dollars, while a replacement pacemaker may become available at a much reduced cost to the veterinary practitioner and therefore the pet’s owner. It is important to note that this scenario may exist before coming to conclusions about the cost of the pacemaker itself. Further, even if a replacement pacemaker is not available at the time of enquiry, one may become available in the weeks or months after.

With regard to the implantation itself, the Southern Animal Referral Centre has full imaging and theatre facilities to enable the straightforward implantation of the device. The process itself is straightforward, with cardiologist Richard Woolley having residency training in implantation under a great number of scenarios with patients of varying degrees of cardiac compromise. Furthermore, Southern Animal Referral Centre small animal surgical specialist Dr. Charles Kuntz Charles has been awarded a Master of Science degree from Virginia Tech for his research into cardiopulmonary bypass in dogs where he collaborated with Dr. C. Walton Lillihei, the first surgeon to successfully perform open heart surgery in people (1954). Thus both the surgery and cardiology teams at the Southern Animal Referral Centre have significant expertise and formal training in this area.

All patients undergoing procedures at the Southern Animal Referral Centre are backed up by the emergency department which fully monitors and manages in-house patients after hours, meaning that your pet will never be left unattended at any time of the day after any procedure.

If you have an enquiry about pacemaker implantation, please do not hesitate to contact cardiologist Richard Woolley at the Southern Animal Referral Centre on (03) 9532 5261.

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