Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New surgical approach to open the chest in dogs
By Weiland, Ana K et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·1Veterinary Specialty Services·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Parasternal thoracotomy via sternocostal disarticulation: a novel surgical approach to the canine thorax.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 93 dogs underwent a new type of chest surgery called parasternal thoracotomy, which involves separating the ribs at the sternocostal joint. Most of the dogs, about 94.6%, survived the surgery, and 89.2% were able to go home after their hospital stay. The study found that the longer a thoracostomy tube (a tube used to drain fluid from the chest) was in place, the lower the chances of the dog surviving to go home. Overall, this new surgical method appears to be a safe option for treating chest issues in dogs.
People also search for: dog chest surgery recovery · thoracostomy tube duration effects · canine thoracic surgery survival rates
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the technique and outcomes of a modified paramedian thoracic approach in dogs involving a parasternal thoracotomy via rib disarticulation at the sternocostal joint. ANIMALS: 93 client-owned dogs. METHODS: Medical records of dogs that underwent parasternal thoracotomy at a private practice between the years 2015 and 2021 were reviewed. Signalment, weight, clinical presentation, surgical details, complications, and short-term outcomes were recorded. Cox proportional hazards regression models were utilized to analyze the impact of covariates on hazard events. Kaplan-Meier curves were employed to evaluate survival functions for select variables. RESULTS: Parasternal thoracotomy via sternocostal disarticulation was performed in 93 dogs. Eighty-eight dogs (94.6%) survived the procedure. Eighty-three dogs (89.2%) survived to discharge from the hospital. Age, weight, postoperative time to eating, postoperative ambulation, and surgical or anesthetic duration were not significantly associated with survival to discharge. Thoracostomy tube duration significantly decreased the likelihood for survival to discharge; for each additional hour of thoracostomy tube placement, the odds of survival to discharge diminished by 5.7% (hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.912 to 0.976). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Parasternal thoracotomy via rib disarticulation at the sternocostal joints may be a viable alternative to median sternotomy that does not require specialized equipment for bilateral hemithoracic visualization. Postoperative complications and short-term outcomes are comparable to those reported for the traditional median sternotomy approach. Prolonged thoracostomy tube duration may impact survival to discharge.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39178893/