Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Short-term complication rates after airway surgery in brachycephalic
By Nanda, Angad & Hans, Eric C·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2026·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A comparison of surgical techniques with regard to short-term complication rates in brachycephalic dogs: a multi-institutional retrospective study of 413 cases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 413 brachycephalic dogs (like Bulldogs and Pugs) that had surgery to treat breathing problems were studied to see which surgical method caused fewer complications. The study found that the cut-and-sew technique had a higher risk of serious complications compared to other methods like CO2 laser and a special sealing device. Overall, about 15.5% of the dogs experienced major complications after surgery, and some factors like older age and being overweight increased the risk. To reduce complications, it's recommended that vets consider using techniques other than cut-and-sew, especially for dogs with additional health risks.
People also search for: brachycephalic dog surgery complications · best surgery for dog breathing problems · staphylectomy techniques for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare short-term major complication rates among 4 staphylectomy techniques (cut-and-sew, CO2 laser, bipolar vessel-sealing device [BVSD], and BVSD with suture apposition [BVSD-SA]) in dogs with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). METHODS: A retrospective cohort of consecutive dogs that underwent staphylectomy for treatment of BOAS at 4 hospitals between 2012 and 2024 were identified. Dogs were excluded if they had concurrent illnesses likely to affect prognosis or a history of BOAS-related surgery. Dogs were grouped by surgical technique. Short-term major complications were analyzed in the entire population with multivariate logistic regression and between groups for significant associations. RESULTS: 413 dogs were included in this study. Short-term major complications occurred in 15.5% (64 of 413) of dogs, with an overall mortality rate of 7% (29 of 413). The major complication rates were 20.2% (19 of 94), 12.9% (13 of 101), 18.3% (19 of 104), and 11.4% (13 of 114) with cut-and-sew, CO2 laser, BVSD, and BVSD-SA, respectively. Cut-and-sew surgical technique had significantly greater risk for short-term major complication when compared to CO2 laser (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2 to 7.4) and BVSD-SA (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.2 to 7.4) groupings. Increasing age (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.3), body condition score (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.8), needing an emergent procedure (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.8 to 8), and higher-grade laryngeal collapse (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.1 to 8.6) were all associated with major complication. CONCLUSIONS: The cut-and-sew technique, increased age, higher body condition score, laryngeal collapse grade, and emergent staphylectomy were associated with higher short-term major complication rates. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Avoidance of cut-and-sew technique may lower the risk of short-term major complications, particularly in dogs with additional risk factors for postoperative complications.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40930143/