Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Median sternotomy in dogs and cats - risks and recovery
By Burton, C A & White, R NĀ·Published in The Journal of small animal practiceĀ·1996Ā·Department of Small Animal Medicine and SurgeryĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Review of the technique and complications of median sternotomy in the dog and cat.
Plain-English summary
A group of 67 dogs and 9 cats underwent a surgical procedure called median sternotomy, which involves opening the chest to access the heart and lungs. Unfortunately, 26 dogs died or were euthanized shortly after surgery due to existing health issues or complications. Among the dogs that survived the initial 14 days, some experienced short-term problems like bleeding, infections, and pain, while others faced longer-term issues such as fractures or delayed healing. Thankfully, no complications were reported in the cats that had the surgery.
People also search for: dog chest surgery complications Ā· median sternotomy in dogs Ā· cat surgery recovery issues
Abstract
The surgical and medical records of 67 dogs and nine cats which underwent median sternotomy over a five-year period were reviewed. The indication for median sternotomy and the short and longer term complications were recorded. Twenty-six of the dogs died or were euthanased within 48 hours of the surgery as a consequence of the pre-existing disease or complications of the intrathoracic surgical procedure. A further four dogs were enthanased between 48 hours and 14 days following confirmation of neoplastic processes. Thirty-seven dogs were alive at 14 days: of these, seven dogs (19 per cent) experienced short-term wound complications, including haemorrhage, wound infection, thoracic limb neurological deficits and excessive postoperative discomfort. Of the 37 dogs alive for longer term follow-up, eight dogs (22 per cent) experienced wound complications, including haemorrhage, sternal fracture, sternal osteomyelitis and delayed wound healing. No complications were noted in the cats.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8934424/