In humans, neuromuscular blockade (NMB) during general anesthesia is associated with post-operative pulmonary complications (POPC); however, the incidence of POPC in dogs receiving NMB during anesthesia is unknown. We hypothesized that dogs administered NMB during general anesthesia would have greater rates of POPC compared with dogs not administered NMB.
Methods: Enrollment criteria included: dog, general anesthesia, and one procedure performed by either the cardiology (CV) or ophthalmology (OP) service between 2018-2020. Data recorded from patient records included use of NMB and evidence of POPC (aspiration pneumonia, pulmonary contusions, pulmonary edema). Fisher’s exact test was performed on conditional tables.
