Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High risk of fatal shock from automatic liver biopsy in cats
By Proot, S J M & Rothuizen, J·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2006·From the Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: High complication rate of an automatic Tru-Cut biopsy gun device for liver biopsy in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats undergoing liver biopsies experienced serious complications when an automatic biopsy device was used, leading to fatal shock in some cases. Out of 26 cats treated with this device, 5 developed severe shock shortly after the procedure, and unfortunately, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. In contrast, when a semiautomatic device was used on 19 other cats, none experienced major adverse effects. This suggests that the automatic device may cause dangerous reactions, and it is recommended to avoid using it in cats due to the high risk of complications.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Liver biopsies taken with an automatic Tru-Cut biopsy gun device caused unexpected fatal shock reactions in cats. The goal of the present study was to determine if this biopsy device caused more frequent fatal complications than did a semiautomatic device. ANIMALS: All cats referred to the Utrecht University, between October 1, 2002, and October 31, 2004, in which ultrasound-guided Tru-Cut liver biopsies were taken. The indications for liver biopsy were increased liver enzyme activity, increased bile acid concentrations, ultrasonographic abnormalities of the liver, ultrasonographic abnormalities of the bile ducts, or some combination of these findings. Coagulation parameters were normal. METHODS: From October 1, 2002, until October 31, 2003, 26 cats were biopsied with an automatic biopsy device. Between November 1, 2003, and October 31, 2004, 19 cats underwent liver biopsy with a semiautomatic biopsy device. RESULTS: In the first period. 5 of the 26 cats (19%) developed severe shock within 15 minutes. Resuscitation was not successful. In the second period, none of the 19 cats experienced any major adverse effect. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups with respect to diagnosis, clinical signs, clinicopathologic findings, or the use of anesthetics. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: We conclude that the difference in complication rate is explained by the biopsy technique used. The pressure wave, which occurs when firing the automatic device, may have caused intense vagotonia and shock. Use of this automatic biopsy device should be avoided in cats because of the high risk of fatal complications.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17186845/