Dehiscence rate and associated risk factors after gastrotomy for removal of foreign material in dogs and cats.

OBJECTIVE

Identify rate and associated risk factors for dehiscence following gastrotomy for foreign material removal.

METHODS

Medical records from 2 private practice emergency and referral hospitals were reviewed, and history, laboratory values, intraoperative findings, and outcomes were collected on 271 dogs and 31 cats (n = 302).

RESULTS

Hospital A performed 222 procedures and Hospital B performed 80 procedures. Three cats (3 of 31 [10%]) and 20 dogs (20 of 271 [7%]) had intraoperative intestinal perforations. Two cats (2 of 31 [6.5%]) and 7 dogs (7 of 271 [2.6%]) were diagnosed with preoperative septic peritonitis. Concurrent surgical procedures in felines included enterotomy (3 of 31 [10%]), multiple enterotomies (3 of 31 [10%]), intestinal resection and anastomosis (IR&A; 2 of 31 [6%]), and other (1 of 31 [3%]). Concurrent surgical procedures in canines included enterotomy (55 of 271 [20%]), multiple enterotomies (11 of 271 [4%]), IR&A (24 of 271 [9%]), IR&A and enterotomy (1 of 271 [0.4%]), splenectomy (11 of 271 [4%]), and other (50 of 271 [18%]). There was no proven gastrotomy dehiscence. Two patients that did not have follow-up surgery or necropsy before euthanasia developed postoperative septic peritonitis, and gastrotomy dehiscence could not be ruled out as a differential diagnosis. Assuming neither patient, 1 patient, or both patients had gastrotomy dehiscence, the gastrotomy dehiscence rate was 0% to 0.66%. However, these patients also had an IR&A.

CONCLUSIONS

Two cases were presumed to have gastrotomy dehiscence, as the authors would rather overestimate the dehiscence rate. However, it is more likely that the IR&A was the dehiscence site rather than the gastrotomy.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Gastrotomy dehiscence rate is low in cats and dogs, and the dehiscence rate reported in this study may be an overestimation.