Spironolactone for feline CHF. The SEISICAT study findings.
Finally, some much-needed evidence on which to base congestive heart failure treatment in cats.
Presented at ECVIM 2015 by Rachel James: a prospective, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 20 cats with CHF due to cardiomyopathy. Concurrently treated with furosemide, an ACE inhibitor +/- clopidogrel.
The bare bones of the outcome are that survival at 15 months was 70% in the spironolactone group and 14% in the placebo group. Unsurprisingly this was significant.
Hurrah!
Happily, there were no serious adverse effects in this group. In a previous study a significant minority developed facial dermatitis. This can be quite dramatic -this is one poor chap I saw last year. On withdrawal of spironolactone the lesions resolved within a couple of weeks.
cutaneous adverse reaction to spironolactone: these lesions are intensely pruritic
