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Principal Investigator: Dr. Tracy Stokol
Contact Information: E-mail: ts23@cornell.edu - Phone: 607-253-3255
Sponsor: Winn Feline Foundation
Title: New Diagnostic Tests of Thrombosis in Cats with Cardiac Disease:
D-dimer and Thrombin-Antithrombin Complex
Annual Direct Cost: $13,710
Project Period: 04/01/05-03/31/06
Large and small clots often form in the blood vessels of cats with heart disease. When these clots occlude major blood vessels, they cause extreme pain and distress to the cat because tissues die from lack of blood and oxygen. Many cats do not survive an initial clotting episode. Although we know that cats with certain types of cardiac disease are at risk of abnormal blood clot formation (referred to as thrombosis), we have no laboratory tests to a) detect these clots before they cause severe tissue injury and b) determine which cats are at risk of thrombosis. If such cats were identified by laboratory tests, they could be treated with anti-clotting (anticoagulant) drugs to prevent disease progression. In this study, we will examine whether two laboratory tests of clot formation in people, thrombin-antithrombin complexes and D-dimer, can be applied to cats. These assays are used for diagnosing and monitoring human patients with thrombosis, but have not been tested in cats. If test values are high in cats with thrombosis, they could be used by veterinarians for the early detection of thrombosis, to identify cats that might benefit from anticoagulant drugs, and to develop safe and effective treatment protocols to prevent abnormal clot formation.
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