Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival rates after planned gallbladder removal surgery in dogs
By Youn, Gabina et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2018·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Outcome of elective cholecystectomy for the treatment of gallbladder disease in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 70 dogs with gallbladder disease underwent surgery to remove the gallbladder, with 45 of those surgeries being elective for dogs showing mild symptoms. The dogs that had elective surgery had a much lower chance of dying after the procedure (only 2% mortality) compared to those who had emergency surgery due to more severe symptoms (20% mortality). Dogs that showed signs like vomiting, lethargy, or jaundice were less likely to survive. The study suggests that elective surgery could be a safer option for dogs with early signs of gallbladder issues, helping them avoid more serious complications later on.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine mortality rates for dogs undergoing cholecystectomy and variables associated with failure to survive to hospital discharge. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS 70 dogs that underwent cholecystectomy for biliary tract disease at a companion animal referral hospital from 2009 through 2015. PROCEDURES Medical records of dogs were reviewed and data collected; dogs with biliary diversion surgery were excluded. Included dogs were grouped by whether cholecystectomy had been elective (ie, dogs with no or mild clinical signs, with no indication of biliary obstruction, or that initially underwent surgery for a different procedure) or nonelective (ie, dogs with icterus and questionable patency of the biliary system). Mortality rates (proportions of dogs that failed to survive to hospital discharge) were compared between various groups. RESULTS 45 (64%) dogs were included in the elective group and 25 (36%) in the nonelective group. Group mortality rates were 2% (1/45) and 20% (5/25), respectively, and differed significantly. Overall mortality rate was 9% (6/70). Serum albumin concentration was significantly lower and serum alanine aminotransferase activity and total bilirubin concentration were significantly higher in nonsurviving versus surviving dogs. Dogs with vomiting, signs of lethargy or anorexia, icterus, or azotemia were less likely to survive than dogs without these signs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Dogs that underwent elective cholecystectomy had a considerably lower mortality rate than previously reported. Elective cholecystectomy may be an appropriate recommendation for dogs with early signs of biliary disease to avoid the greater mortality rate associated with more advanced disease and nonelective cholecystectomy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29595398/