Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treating low blood pressure during dog desexing surgery
By Quinn, C T et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2026·School of Agricultural, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Impact of a hypotension treatment algorithm in dogs undergoing general anaesthesia for desexing surgery.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy dogs undergoing desexing surgery experienced low blood pressure (hypotension) during anesthesia. Researchers found that using a specific treatment plan helped reduce how long the dogs had low blood pressure and made the condition less severe. The dogs treated with the algorithm had better outcomes, including less severe drops in body temperature. This approach could help veterinarians improve the safety and comfort of dogs during elective surgeries.
People also search for: dog low blood pressure during surgery · desexing surgery complications in dogs · anesthesia safety for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine if the use of an algorithm for guiding treatment of hypotension during general anaesthesia was effective in limiting the severity or duration of hypotension. The algorithm-guided treatment included both fluid therapy and pharmacological interventions. DESIGN: Retrospective before-and-after cohort study. SETTING: University teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Anaesthetised healthy dogs undergoing elective desexing surgery. The before period included 72 dogs and the after period included 81 dogs. METHODS: Anaesthetic records for the 2 years before and after the algorithm was introduced were searched. Inclusion criteria were cases that underwent surgery within the specified time periods. Data extracted included signalment, preanaesthetic tests, drug doses, anaesthetic duration, interventions for hypotension, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate and temperature. Complications between the two time periods were compared. RESULTS: There was a greater proportion of female dogs in the after period. All other signalment details, preanaesthetic findings, drug doses and anaesthetic duration were the same. Hypotension defined as MAP <60 mmHg occurred in 65% of before and 74% of after cases. Hypotension duration was 40 ± 25.2 and 23 ± 16.9 min (P = 0.0001), and lowest MAP was 46 ± 8.2 and 51 ± 5.8 mmHg (P = 0.007) before and after, respectively. Hypothermia was less severe in the after period (P = 0.033). Algorithm use was associated with more frequent atropine use and lower cumulative volume of intravenous fluid administered. CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of the algorithm significantly reduced the severity and duration of hypotension and the severity of hypothermia. The algorithm could be used by veterinarians to improve outcomes for dogs undergoing elective surgery.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41276276/