Lungs fill with fluid while on IV: Does this always point to a heart problem?

I'm asking this on my brother's behalf, whose kitty suffered an extreme Herpes virus flare-up. One day the eyes were a little runny and he was sneezing, a couple of days later he had pneumonia, wasn't eating or drinking, and was in the hospital on IV fluids and antibiotics. His internist doesn't believe it's anything more complicated than that, but a test for other viruses hasn't come back yet. 

He was improving on his second day of hospitalization, and then his lungs filled with fluid and he went into cardiac arrest. They revived him and he's doing fine now. The internist believes this happened because of an underlying heart problem and wants the kitty to see a cardiologist when he's feeling better. Brother has probably already scheduled the appointment, but wants to know if this always happens as a result of a heart condition or if there are other causes. 

Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance!

the3rdname said:

 
I'm asking this on my brother's behalf, whose kitty suffered an extreme Herpes virus flare-up. One day the eyes were a little runny and he was sneezing, a couple of days later he had pneumonia, wasn't eating or drinking, and was in the hospital on IV fluids and antibiotics. His internist doesn't believe it's anything more complicated than that, but a test for other viruses hasn't come back yet. 

He was improving on his second day of hospitalization, and then his lungs filled with fluid and he went into cardiac arrest. They revived him and he's doing fine now. The internist believes this happened because of an underlying heart problem and wants the kitty to see a cardiologist when he's feeling better. Brother has probably already scheduled the appointment, but wants to know if this always happens as a result of a heart condition or if there are other causes. 

Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance!

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It can certainly happen if he got too much IV fluid in a short period of time.  So he was improving on his 2nd day but then his lungs started filling up.  It is possible he got an overdose of fluids.  Sometimes IV pumps fail, sometimes those stupid roll clamps don't work very well and are hard to regulate.  That can certainly overwhelm a normal heart.  Does the kitty have any known heart history?  

On the other hand it can be possible there was an unknown condition that never presented itself until he got acutely ill.  

I would want to see the notes and his Intake/output record for that day.  

Here's a good article with explanations on different cause of pulmonary edema that will help:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-edema/basics/causes/CON-20022485

So the causes are the same for humans and cats? That's very interesting. I see that pneumonia and viral infections are listed as potential causes, and the pneumonia would seem to be the most obvious cause. That makes me wonder why they would suggest an underlying heart problem. Are they just covering all their bases? It's all so confusing and I know my brother doesn't need another big vet bill on top of this. I wonder if the cardiologist appointment is necessary.

Ginny said:

 

the3rdname said:

 
I'm asking this on my brother's behalf, whose kitty suffered an extreme Herpes virus flare-up. One day the eyes were a little runny and he was sneezing, a couple of days later he had pneumonia, wasn't eating or drinking, and was in the hospital on IV fluids and antibiotics. His internist doesn't believe it's anything more complicated than that, but a test for other viruses hasn't come back yet. 

He was improving on his second day of hospitalization, and then his lungs filled with fluid and he went into cardiac arrest. They revived him and he's doing fine now. The internist believes this happened because of an underlying heart problem and wants the kitty to see a cardiologist when he's feeling better. Brother has probably already scheduled the appointment, but wants to know if this always happens as a result of a heart condition or if there are other causes. 

Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

It can certainly happen if he got too much IV fluid in a short period of time.  So he was improving on his 2nd day but then his lungs started filling up.  It is possible he got an overdose of fluids.  Sometimes IV pumps fail, sometimes those stupid roll clamps don't work very well and are hard to regulate.  That can certainly overwhelm a normal heart.  Does the kitty have any known heart history?  

On the other hand it can be possible there was an unknown condition that never presented itself until he got acutely ill.  

I would want to see the notes and his Intake/output record for that day.  

Click to expand...

I had wondered about an overdose of IV fluids. It seemed like a possibility to me, but I didn't want to unnecessarily alarm my brother- who's already freaking out over all this. The cat is very young and normally very healthy, except for minor Herpes flare-ups. I think he's around 1 yr. of age. 

I'll tell him about requesting notes and the record for that day. I'm glad you mentioned that.

It certainly possible the pneumonia put the wheels in motion.  And yes I think in light of the fact that the kitty arrested, they are likely just covering the bases.  It is possible there is a heart condition.  Your brother can talk with the doctor about holding off on the consult for now just to see how he does.  However, the only way to know if the heart has been damaged or was already, is to have an ultrasound  (or echocardiogram.) 

***Update on kitty*** He's still in the hospital, but now it's because he's slightly jaundiced and one (or more, not entirely sure) liver value is elevated. The vet tech said she believes it's because he's sensitive to IV fluid (they took him off of it and substituted a water drip) and the problem should resolve soon. They want him to see the internal medicine vet in the AM in hopes of figuring out the cause of this newest complication. From what I've been told, the weekend emergency vet wasn't very helpful, was throwing out all sorts of worst-case scenarios (liver cancer!).  

It's strange that liver values were perfectly normal when he went into the hospital and now this. I hope it is a sensitivity to IV fluid, but if anyone has a different idea, please share! Kitty has a feeding tube, by the way, because he hasn't had much of an appetite. His congestion is mostly gone, temperature is normal, eyes are still infected.

I wonder if it's just all the drugs they've given him.  He may have gotten some resuscitative drugs when he arrested too.  It all adds up.  What was the IV drip that the vet tech said he was sensitive to?  

I should have just looked this up before I commented. I wondered if the cardiac arrest had anything to do with the liver enzymes becoming elevated. Here's the link.  I would think that it affects cats too.  

http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/elevated-liver-enzymes/basics/causes/sym-20050830

Ginny said:

 
I wonder if it's just all the drugs they've given him.  He may have gotten some resuscitative drugs when he arrested too.  It all adds up.  What was the IV drip that the vet tech said he was sensitive to?  

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Ginny said:

 
I should have just looked this up before I commented. I wondered if the cardiac arrest had anything to do with the liver enzymes becoming elevated. Here's the link.  I would think that it affects cats too.  

http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/elevated-liver-enzymes/basics/causes/sym-20050830

Click to expand...

Not sure what type of IV fluid it was, but I'm glad you mentioned the additional drugs he probably would've received. Lots more drama has transpired: the ophthalmologist said his eye tissue looked cancerous and between that doc and the internist, they were afraid kitty might be experiencing multi-organ failure resulting from cancer. It was hypothesized that the herpes flare-up became so severe because cancer was wrecking his immune system. All this despite a perfectly normal blood test, barring the elevated liver enzymes. So they biopsied eye and liver tissue and found...nothing. And now they're come around to thinking his liver may have been overburdened by meds, and they still have no idea what's wrong with his eyes. I guess whatever's going on is in addition to herpes virus. They're keeping him overnight, formulating a treatment plan, and will release him tomorrow. His regular vet has all the records and will review them and give her input as well. 

Someone in a different thread I created to ask about l-lysine alternatives mentioned a special drug called Polyprenyl Immunostimulant and I think the regular vet is going to look into trying it. Kitty was FeLV/FIV negative, but he seems to be having a lot of immune system troubles. 

I can't express enough gratitude for all the helpful responses! Grateful *Hug*