Tommie the cat is recovering well after a complex operation to save his life at Paragon Veterinary Referrals
Expert Team At Paragon Carry Out Intricate Operation To Save Cat's Life
5 years ago 
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A Yorkshire referral centre has described the major operation carried out to save a cat’s life after scans revealed a series of abscesses attached to major blood vessels, heart and lungs.
Tommie, an 11-year-old domestic short-haired cat, had a history of weight loss, anorexia and increased respiratory rate when he was first referred to Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield.
He was initially diagnosed with pyothorax by cardiologist Debra Hyman, who managed the condition with chest drains.
Unfortunately, Tommie’s clinical signs returned despite a good initial response to treatment and he was sent for a CT scan at Paragon, which is part of the Linnaeus Group. The scans revealed a series of large abscesses attached to his thoracic viscera, which required urgent surgery.
The operation involved a series of intricate procedures to find and remove each of the abscesses from Tommie’s thorax.
Soft tissue surgeon David Barker, who carried out the operation with soft tissue specialist Mickey Tivers, said it was the most extensively-affected case of surgically-managed pyothorax he had seen.
He said: “The scans showed abscesses in the right caudal and accessory lobes, involving the mediastinum and the pleura. The extent of Tommie's problem was exceptionally severe and the operation was extremely complicated.
“Precise and gentle tissue handling was required to prevent inadvertent damage to the heart, lungs and major blood vessels. A midline sternotomy was performed, and the ventral mediastinum was resected.
“The abscess was identified in the right hemithorax, traversing from the cupula to the diaphragm. The capsule was resected from the cranial vena cava, cranial and middle lung lobes, the pericardium and diaphragm.
“The pleura was partially resected from the thoracic wall. I then performed a right caudal and accessory lung lobectomy, where the accessory lung lobe was adhered to the caudal vena cava.
“Superficial damage to the cranial and middle lobes required repair of tears in the parenchyma, and after a thorough lavage, a narrow bore thoracostomy was then placed, and the sternum and skin were closed routinely.”
Tommie recovered well from anaesthesia and surgery in Paragon’s cat-specific ward, and was eating normally the same evening. He was discharged a few days later to his grateful owner.
For more information on Paragon Veterinary Referrals, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk.
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