Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term chest drain use in dog with lung torsion and chylothorax
By Chang, Fenway & Linklater, Andrew K J·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2021·Lakeshore Veterinary Specialists, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Complications and management of a long-term pleural access port in a dog with chronic chylothorax associated with lung lobe torsion.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old golden retriever mix was having trouble breathing for three days before being diagnosed with a twisted lung lobe, which required surgery to remove it. After the surgery, he developed a condition called chylothorax, where fluid builds up in the chest, and this continued for over three years. To manage this, a special device called a pleural access port was placed, but the dog faced several complications, including blockages in the port and infections. Unfortunately, after struggling with these issues, the decision was made to euthanize him after the second infection.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · chylothorax treatment in dogs · golden retriever lung surgery complications
Abstract
A 2-year-old neutered male 35-kg golden retriever mixed breed dog was presented because of a 3-day history of increased respiratory effort. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with a lung lobe torsion and underwent lung lobectomy. Chylothorax developed after surgery and persisted for 3.5 y. Pleural access port (PAP) placement was used for long-term medical management. Several complications were encountered, including 2 episodes of PAP occlusion that were successfully treated with unfractionated heparin. The dog had a surgical site seroma and 2 episodes of pleuritis; euthanasia was elected after the second episode. Key clinical message: This case demonstrates successful long-term management of chylothorax with a pleural access port and management of 3 complications. Instead of the less accessible and more expensive tissue plasminogen activator, unfractionated heparin was used as an effective treatment for PAP occlusions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34219764/