Back to Search
Start Over
Anaesthetic mortality in cats: A worldwide analysis and risk assessment.
- Source :
-
The Veterinary record [Vet Rec] 2024 Jul 06; Vol. 195 (1), pp. e4147. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 03. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Background: Patient safety is essential in small animal anaesthesia. This study aimed to assess anaesthesia-related deaths in cats worldwide, identify risk and protective factors and provide insights for clinical practice.<br />Methods: A prospective multicentre cohort study of 14,962 cats from 198 veterinary centres across different countries was conducted. Data on anaesthesia-related deaths, from premedication up to 48 hours postextubation, were collected. Logistic regression was used to analyse patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, procedure type and anaesthetic drugs.<br />Results: The anaesthesia-related mortality was 0.63%, with 74.5% of deaths occurring postoperatively. Cats with cachexia, a higher ASA status or who underwent abdominal, orthopaedic/neurosurgical or thoracic procedures exhibited elevated mortality. Mechanical ventilation use was associated with increased mortality. Mortality odds were reduced by the use of alpha <subscript>2</subscript> -agonist sedatives, pure opioids in premedication and locoregional techniques.<br />Limitations: Limitations include non-randomised sampling, potential biases, unquantified response rates, subjective death cause classification and limited variable analysis.<br />Conclusions: Anaesthetic mortality in cats is significant, predominantly postoperative. Risk factors include cachexia, higher ASA status, specific procedures and mechanical ventilation. Protective factors include alpha <subscript>2</subscript> -agonist sedatives, pure opioids and locoregional techniques. These findings can help improve anaesthesia safety and outcomes. However, further research is required to improve protocols, enhance data quality and minimise risks.<br /> (© 2024 The Authors. Veterinary Record published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Veterinary Association.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2042-7670
- Volume :
- 195
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The Veterinary record
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 38959210
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.4147