All-Cause In-Hospital Mortality in Cats Undergoing General Surgery Procedures. Lewis M, Schmiedt C, Grimes J, Wallace M. University of Georgia, Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Athens, GA.
Understanding all-cause mortality for cats undergoing surgery will help prioritize areas of continued research and inform owner prognostication. The objective of this study was to evaluate all-cause mortality in cats undergoing general surgery procedures. Retrospective study of cats from 2017 to 2020 was performed. Data collected included age, sex, weight, body condition score, emergent status, daytime versus evening, weekday versus weekend, category of surgery based on ACVS classification scheme (abdominal, gastrointestinal, head and neck, thoracic, urogenital, or skin-reconstructive), preexisting conditions, and contamination level. Three hundred eighty-eight cats were identified; 22 cats died in hospital (5.7%). Factors significant for death included emergent status (P < 0.001, OR = 13.46, 95% CI = 3.47 − 58.76, 91% of cats dying versus 42% surviving were emergent), contaminated or dirty wound classification (P = 0.034, OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.16 − 8.41, 27.3% of cats dying versus 10.9% surviving were contaminated or dirty), and being female (P = 0.024, OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.16 − 6.7, 36.4% of males versus 63.6% of females died). Pre-existing diagnosis of cancer was protective from death (P = 0.033, OR = 0.0, 95% CI = 0.0 − 0.81, 0 cats dying versus 16.7% surviving had a preexisting cancer diagnosis). No other categories were significant for death. The significance of female sex risk or protective effect of cancer is uncertain. Cats undergoing procedures that are emergent or classified as contaminated or dirty had an increased risk in this population; this can be used to inform owners of increased risks in these situations.