Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Anesthesia factors linked to recovery after dog spinal disc surgery
By Fenn, J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2017·Department of Clinical Science and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Associations Between Anesthetic Variables and Functional Outcome in Dogs With Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disk Extrusion Undergoing Decompressive Hemilaminectomy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old Dachshund was brought in for severe back pain and difficulty walking due to a herniated disc in the spine. The dog underwent surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord, but during the procedure, the vet noted episodes of low heart rate and low blood pressure. After six weeks, the dog's recovery was linked to how well it could feel pain before surgery, with longer surgeries potentially leading to worse outcomes in dogs that couldn't feel pain. The findings suggest that careful monitoring during anesthesia is crucial for better recovery.
People also search for: dog back pain surgery · Dachshund herniated disc recovery · anesthesia effects on dog surgery outcome
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Outcome of acute experimental spinal cord injury is strongly associated with tissue perfusion and oxygenation. Cardiopulmonary depression could affect outcome in dogs undergoing general anesthesia for surgical treatment of thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion (IVDE). HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of general anesthesia on functional outcome in dogs undergoing surgery to treat thoracolumbar IVDE. ANIMALS: Eighty-four client-owned dogs with acute thoracolumbar IVDE treated by decompressive hemilaminectomy. METHODS: Exploratory, retrospective observational study. Medical records were reviewed for clinical presentation and anesthetic monitoring variables, including duration of anesthesia and surgery, hypotension, bradycardia, temperature, and respiratory parameters. Multivariable regression tree analysis was performed to explore associations between anesthetic variables and functional outcome scores after 6 weeks, as well as return to ambulatory status. RESULTS: Episodes of bradycardia (69%) and hypotension (57%) were frequent. Across all outcome measures, regression tree analysis highlighted functional grade at presentation as the primary determining factor, and among pain perception negative dogs, there was a possible association between increased duration of surgery and poorer outcome. In dogs with intact pain perception, duration of bradycardia, mean body temperature, and mean end-tidal carbon dioxide were highlighted. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Exploratory statistical methods can facilitate hypothesis-generating studies to inform prospective investigations in veterinary medicine. Although the mechanism is uncertain, increased duration of surgery might be associated with poorer outcome in pain perception negative dogs with thoracolumbar IVDE.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28295616/