Expert: Jessica - 12/12/2009

Question
Hi Jessica,
my 6 month old kitten underwent a surgery to be spayed this morning. the vet called me around 4 and told me that there was a complication during the surgery. Phoebe's heart had stopped beating and they were required to perform CPR and give her 2 rounds of epi until her heart started beating again. when she first woke up the vet said that she was stretching and putting her head back, she wasnt able to swallow on her own. when I went to see her this evening, she was very groggy, but she was opening her eyes, licking her lips and trying to purr... they told me not to give up hope. I just need some answers because Im going crazy!! In your opinion, what is her prognosis?

Answer
Hi Lindsey.  I'm so sorry to hear this!  Unfortunately, I'm not sure what the outlook is for your kitty to be honest.  The more quickly they were able to restore cardiac function, the more likely it is that her brain will make a full recovery.  Chances are best for a recovery if the arrest lasted less than 4 minutes.  Many patients who go on to recover begin showing signs of improvement within a few hours, but extensive recovery can take weeks.  

The recovery rate not only depends on how long the kitty's brain went without blood flow, but also on the techniques that vets use during and after resuscitation.  Cooling the body immediately after cardiac arrest can actually prevent some brain damage, resulting in higher full recovery rates.  The cats can be placed on a cooling pad and/or given cool IV fluids to bring their body temperatures artificially low for the first 12-24 hours.  Then the body is slowly warmed up.  When therapeutic hypothermia, as it's called, is used, the recovery rate almost doubles in people (to about 45% of those who survive the initial arrest), and the rates are similar in dogs, cats and rats.

It is impossible to say what Phoebe's chances of recovery would be for sure.  If she didn't suffer significant damage to the neurons in her brain, chances are good she'll recover, but extensive testing would need to be done in order to determine whether there is brain damage present.  I think it's excellent that she's conscious, so I would remain hopeful.  The next several days will give you a better idea of whether or not she will recover.  Cats with little to no brain damage are often functioning relatively well in about 3-4 days.

I hope she continues to improve!

Jessica