UP veterinary specialists restore irregular heartbeat in horse, first time in SA: Mzansi in awe
- Dr Christina Eberhardt performed SA's first transvenous electrical cardioversion on a horse
- The University of Pretoria and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital have celebrated this monumental moment
- Explaining that this specialised procedure has only been done successfully by very few, Dr Eberhardt feels proud to be one of them
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Dr Christina Eberhardt, a veterinary specialist from the University of Pretoria and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, made Mzansi proud by performing a miracle procedure on a horse.
Source: UGC
While some first-world countries have been doing procedures like this for a while, it is a first in SA and reportedly the first in Africa!
Dr Christina Eberhardt performs the first transvenous electrical cardioversion on a horse in SA
The University of Pretoria and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital celebrated the monumental moment on social media, praising Dr Christina Eberhardt for her amazing work.
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Briefly News got in contact with Mr van Blerk, head of media, communications and marketing at the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria, and he gave all the glory to Dr Eberhardt for making history. This procedure is very specialised, making Dr Eberhardt part of a small group of equine specialists in the world that have been able to perform it successfully.
“To date this procedure is only performed by a small number of equine specialists in the world, and I am excited to be able to now offer this service in South Africa,” Dr Eberhardt said.
What makes this procedure so specialised
Transvenous electrical cardioversion is a new and advanced treatment for horses with atrial fibrillation – an irregular heartbeat. Dr Eberhardt, an internal medicine and cardiology specialist for horses and Senior Lecturer in Equine Medicine at the UP Faculty of Veterinary Science, championed the procedure on a beautiful horse named Skye, a 17-year-old Warmblood.
Dr Eberhardt explained that the transvenous electrical cardioversion requires you to place a 1.8 m long catheter with electrodes through the horse'sSA's right jugular veins into the heart, and it is a tricky business.
“The most difficult part of the procedure is the correct placement of the catheters within the heart. We use blood pressure measurement, ultrasound, and radiography to guide the catheters.”
Watch the full procedure being done below:
Mzansi cheers for Dr Eberhardt's successful procedure, putting Mzansi on the map
Colin Schwarzwald said:
“There is no better thing for a clinical teacher and mentor than seeing former residents and fellows applying the learned knowledge and being successful in other parts of the world! Very happy and proud! Great job! ☺️”
Laurenne James was wowed:
“How incredible!! Well done to Dr and the team.”
Gaye De Wilzem clapped:
“Wonderful.... congratulations!!!”
Lion waking up too soon after sedation has vet and 6 others running in viral TikTok with 9.7m views
In other news, Briefly News reported that a veterinary doctor showed people how quickly the job could become dangerous. The doc and her team were meant to work on the sedated lion, but it came back to consciousness too soon.
A video that shows a team's reaction to the lion regaining consciousness had peeps flooding the comments section with jokes.
In a video on TikTok, a vet was working on a sedated lion that woke up too soon. The king of the jungle was surrounded by seven people who bolted when it started to move.
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Source: Briefly News
