A Heartfelt First: Red Bank Veterinary Hospital Performs Groundbreaking Open-Heart Surgery
April 22, 2025Twelve-year-old Nisey, a sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, first came to Red Bank Veterinary Hospital (RBVH) in August 2024 with a heart murmur due to chronic mitral valve disease. Her condition had slowly progressed to the point where medical management alone was no longer enough. But Nisey’s story took a life-saving turn thanks to an extraordinary team of veterinary specialists and a historic surgical collaboration.
Led by Carl Sammarco, BVSc, MRCVS, DACVIM (Cardiology), CVA, the RBVH Cardiology team assessed Nisey’s condition and began exploring a cutting-edge option: open heart surgery to repair her leaking mitral valve. This complex procedure, which requires halting the heart while a heart-lung machine temporarily takes over its function, is only performed in a handful of places around the world — University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, the Royal Veterinary College in London, select facilities in Japan, and now, hopefully, RBVH on a regular basis.
After a thorough review of Nisey’s case and consultation with the Royal Veterinary College Surgery team — renowned for its 90% success rate — Dr. Sammarco determined that Nisey was a strong candidate for surgery. The day before surgery, the surgical team from London arrived at RBVH, collaborating closely with the hospital’s own specialists to prepare for this landmark operation. Early the next morning, Nisey was anesthetized, and the team got to work using a specialized heart-lung bypass machine to support her vital functions while the surgical team repaired the mitral valve.
Nisey’s recovery was remarkable. She spent her first night in an oxygen unit in the ICU, but within 24 hours, she was stable enough to move to a standard hospital bed. She was walking the very next day, eating normally within 72 hours, and showing signs of significant improvement. Her echocardiogram showed a noticeable reduction in heart size — a strong indicator that the repair was successful. She was discharged less than 10 days after undergoing open heart surgery.
“There are always risks when performing heart surgery,” Dr. Sammarco said. “But the biggest one is not achieving a strong repair, which affects recovery. If a good repair is made and the heart disease hasn’t progressed too far, recovery is typically smooth—and the patients are usually walking and comfortable the next day.”
At her one-month follow-up, Nisey continued to thrive, with a softer murmur and further heart size reduction. She’ll return soon for her three-month check-up. While long-term outcomes are still being studied, early data shows that five years post-surgery, many dogs remain off cardiac medications and live full lives, often passing from unrelated causes.
Nisey’s journey is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when veterinary excellence, innovation, and collaboration come together. It also signals a new era for RBVH and Ethos — one where we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible to enhance and extend the lives of the pets entrusted to our care.
We’re incredibly proud of the team at RBVH for leading this groundbreaking effort — and we’re even prouder to say Nisey’s heart is beating strong!