UK Vets Use Amplatzer Plug in Rare Feline PDA Occlusion

Chestergates Veterinary Specialists in Chester have completed a rare minimally-invasive cardiac occlusion procedure on a two-year-old cat using an Amplatzer Vascular Plug II (AVP II), reportedly only the fourth such procedure performed on a feline worldwide. Announced on 1 September 2026, the procedure closed the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) via jugular vein catheter access rather than open-chest surgery, and points to expanding potential for interventional cardiology across small animal veterinary practice.

Patent ductus arteriosus is a congenital cardiac defect typically treated in cats via open-chest surgery. In the Chestergates procedure, a small catheter placed through the jugular vein enabled clinicians to guide the Amplatzer Vascular Plug II directly into the PDA to seal it, with the entire procedure conducted through the single catheter. The intervention was led by Chestergates clinical director Liz Bode, an EBVS European Specialist in Small Animal Cardiology. The patient was discharged less than 24 hours after the procedure, with a heart scan showing the heart had already begun returning to a more normal size.

The Amplatzer Vascular Plug II is manufactured by Abbott (originally developed by St. Jude Medical prior to Abbott’s 2017 acquisition) and is primarily used in human interventional cardiology for a range of vascular occlusion applications. The adaptation for veterinary cardiac procedures reflects a broader trend of transferring proven human interventional cardiology techniques and devices into small animal specialty practice. The procedure highlights growing commercial opportunity for interventional cardiology specialty referral centres, with Chestergates part of the Linnaeus group (Mars Petcare).

The commercial signal is a growing veterinary interventional cardiology market where human medical devices increasingly find adjacent applications across small animal specialty referral centres. Advanced procedural capabilities are commercial differentiators for corporate veterinary groups. Expect Abbott (Amplatzer portfolio), Medtronic, Occlutech and Lifetech Scientific to sharpen their positioning as veterinary adjacencies expand, alongside CVS Group, IVC Evidensia, Linnaeus and VetPartners referral networks.

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