Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Less experienced vets euthanize more dogs with nontraumatic
By Molitoris, Amy et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2022·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Early career clinicians euthanize more dogs with nontraumatic hemoabdomen but not gastric dilatation and volvulus than more experienced clinicians.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a higher percentage of dogs with nontraumatic hemoabdomen (internal bleeding) were euthanized when treated by less experienced veterinarians, compared to those treated by more experienced vets. Specifically, 76% of dogs treated by interns were euthanized, while only 52% of those treated by non-interns faced the same fate. However, for dogs with gastric dilatation and volvulus (a serious stomach condition), the euthanasia rates were similar regardless of the veterinarian's experience. This suggests that support and guidance for new veterinarians during difficult decisions may be beneficial.
People also search for: dog internal bleeding treatment · hemoabdomen in dogs · why did my dog get euthanized · gastric dilatation volvulus in dogs · vet experience and dog care
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine if clinician experience influenced the euthanasia rate in 2 common surgical emergencies. ANIMALS: 142 dogs with nontraumatic hemoabdomen (NTH) due to suspected ruptured splenic mass and 99 dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) where the owner either elected surgery or euthanasia. PROCEDURES: Medical records were reviewed for dogs that had either NTH or GDV. For each patient, the owner's decision to pursue euthanasia versus surgery was recorded. The primary clinician was categorized as an intern, defined as a clinician with < 12 months experience, or a non-intern, defined as a clinician with more than 12 months experience. The euthanasia rates were compared used a Fisher exact, and the 95% CI was calculated for the risk of euthanasia if the primary clinician was an intern compared with a non-intern. If a difference was identified, subgroups comparing time of day, referral status, age, Hct, total solids, lactate, and heart rate were evaluated using a t test with a Bonferroni correction for the continuous variables and a Fisher exact for categorical variables. RESULTS: For dogs with NTH, the euthanasia rate for cases primarily managed by non-interns (52%) was significantly lower than that of interns (76%; P = .005). The relative risk of euthanasia associated with NTH when the case was treated by an intern was 1.44 with a 95% CI of 1.1229 to 1.8567. For 99 dogs with GDV, the rate of euthanasia was not different between interns and non-interns. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The euthanasia rate for dogs with NTH may be impacted by the level of experience of the clinician. Support of new clinicians during challenging conversations should be provided.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35905147/