Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat dies from fat embolism during humerus fracture surgery
By Schwarz, T et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2001·Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Fatal pulmonary fat embolism during humeral fracture repair in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 11-month-old cat was brought to the vet after being hit by a car, showing signs of not using its front leg and having trouble breathing. After surgery to fix a ruptured diaphragm, the cat underwent another operation to repair a broken humerus. Unfortunately, during this second surgery, the cat suddenly stopped breathing, and despite immediate efforts to revive it, the cat did not survive. A postmortem exam revealed that fat had blocked the blood vessels in the lungs, leading to its death.
People also search for: cat not using front leg after accident · cat breathing problems after surgery · cat humerus fracture treatment
Abstract
An 11-month-old cat was referred following a road traffic accident with non-weightbearing forelimb lameness and tachypnoea. A diaphragmatic rupture was repaired two days after trauma. Six days post trauma, a further operation was performed to repair the fractured humerus. As an intramedullary pin was advanced into the bone to achieve stabilisation, acute respiratory arrest occurred. Manual extrathoracic cardiopulmonary resuscitation was immediately instigated, but the cat did not recover. Postmortem examination identified a high degree of embolic fat occluding pulmonary capillaries. A massive embolic shower was established as the cause of death.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11327668/