Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Infection rates after partial tarsal arthrodesis in 89 dogs
By Brudevold-Iversen, Erik et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2025·Queensland Veterinary Specialists, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence and incidence rate of infection after partial tarsal arthrodesis in 89 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 89 dogs that had partial tarsal arthrodesis (a surgery on the ankle) and found that 43% developed infections afterward. This rate was much higher compared to another group of dogs that had a different surgery called tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, where only 13% had infections. Factors like having open wounds or not using a bandage after surgery increased the chances of infection. The findings suggest that dogs undergoing this ankle surgery are significantly more likely to get infections, so pet owners should be aware of this risk and discuss preventive measures with their veterinarian.
People also search for: dog ankle surgery infection · partial tarsal arthrodesis complications · dog surgery infection prevention
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To document the prevalence and incidence rate of infection in dogs undergoing partial tarsal arthrodesis (PTA). For context, findings were compared with the prevalence of infection following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) at the same institution. Independent variables associated with infection were also identified. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. ANIMALS: Eighty-nine dogs underwent PTA; 292 dogs underwent TPLO. METHODS: Medical records for dogs that underwent PTA from 2017 to 2023 and dogs that underwent TPLO between January 2022 and December 2022 were reviewed. The prevalence, incidence rate, odds and incidence rate ratio of infection were calculated. RESULTS: The prevalence of infection following PTA was 43%; following TPLO it was 13%. The incidence rate of infection was 0.00276 (95% CI: 0.00198-0.00375) and 0.00010 (95% CI: 0.00007-0.00013) infections per dog-week, respectively. The odds ratio and incidence rate ratio for infection following PTA were 5.0 (95% CI: 3.1-9.0) and 28.2 (95% CI: 17.7-45.0), respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence and incidence rate of infection were higher following PTA than TPLO. Dogs that underwent PTA were five times more likely to develop infection than dogs that underwent TPLO, and developed infection at 28 times the rate of dogs that underwent TPLO. Dogs with open wounds, no postoperative bandage, and treated with a combined medial and lateral approach, had a higher point prevalence of infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40631699/