Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Care and recovery outcomes for dogs and cats after cardiac arrest
By Hoehne, Sabrina N et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2025·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Post-Cardiopulmonary Arrest Care and Functional Outcomes in Dogs and Cats Surviving to Hospital Discharge Since Publication of the RECOVER Guidelines: 2012-2022.
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog suffered a cardiac arrest while under anesthesia and required CPR to revive him. After being stabilized, he spent about 5 days in the hospital, where he received oxygen and other supportive treatments. Most pets that experienced a cardiac arrest in this study had good outcomes, with many owners reporting their pets had a good quality of life afterward, even if some showed signs of disability. This suggests that with proper care, dogs and cats can recover well after such serious events.
People also search for: dog cardiac arrest recovery · CPR for dogs · pet quality of life after CPR
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the in-hospital postcardiac arrest (PCA) care and short- and long-term functional outcomes of dogs and cats surviving to hospital discharge after naturally occurring cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) and CPR. DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective observational study. SETTING: Three veterinary teaching hospitals. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs (n = 25) and cats (n = 15). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Medical records of animals that underwent CPR and survived to discharge were retrospectively reviewed, and information was recorded regarding CPR event, PCA hospitalization, and short- and long-term outcomes. Ninety-two percent of CPA events occurred in hospital and were witnessed, and 8% occurred out of hospital. Eighty-five percent of events occurred during general anesthesia or sedation. CPR efforts ranged from <1 to 18 min, and animals remained hospitalized between 0.5 and 15.5 days after return of spontaneous circulation. Seventy-three percent of animals required supplemental oxygen, 13% required mechanical ventilation, and 20% required vasopressor, positive inotropic, or glucocorticoid therapy. Hyperosmolar therapies were administered to 38% of animals, anticonvulsants were given to 18%, and 8% of animals developed new-onset PCA seizures. The median (range) modified Glasgow Coma Scale score before CPA was 18 (11-18), 12 h PCA was 16 (6-18), and 72 h PCA was 17.5 (14-18). Median survival time was 455 days (range: 11-2650 days). Twenty-five percent of owners perceived a persistent disability in their pets, from behavioral changes to required nutritional and recumbent care. Nonetheless, all owners reported their pet's PCA quality of life to be good. CONCLUSIONS: Good short- and long-term functional outcomes post-CPA can be achieved in dogs and cats. Functional survival remains possible in some cases of out-of-hospital CPA and after prolonged CPR, suggesting a benefit of high-quality CPR in all scenarios. Patient stabilization and neurological improvement may take 48-72 h, and early discouraging findings should not prevent continuation of PCA care.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40230202/