🔍 Key Findings

• Ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurred in 3% of pericardiectomy cases across reporting institutions.
• 14 of 16 dogs (88%) that developed intraoperative VF died, indicating high mortality.
• Electrosurgical devices were used in 15/16 dogs; VF onset coincided with their use in 8 dogs, suggesting a potential but unproven association.
• Preoperative arrhythmias were seen in 7 dogs (e.g., VPCs, VT, bradycardia), possibly serving as early warning signs.
• Thoracoscopic approach was used in 75% of cases; however, conversion to open surgery was required in 9/13 thoracoscopic procedures after VF onset.
• Defibrillation was attempted in 13 dogs, but only 3 converted to sinus rhythm, and only 2 survived postoperatively.
• VF may result from stray current or cardiac manipulation; bipolar energy devices were implicated despite lower theoretical risk.
• Preventative strategies include judicious electrosurgery use, close ECG monitoring, rapid CPR preparedness, and preop cardiac risk assessment.

🔍 Key Findings

• Proximal BODPUOs (closer to 26–28% of ulna length) resulted in greater increases in proximal ulna tilt postoperatively (up to 18°).
• Distal osteotomies (closer to 48–49%) yielded minimal change in ulna angle.
• Strong linear relationship between osteotomy location and change in angle; correlation coefficient = 0.73.
• Initial proximal ulna angle (IPUA) influences results—angles closer to 90° yielded greater changes.
• Craniocaudal osteotomy angle had minimal impact on tilt change after adjusting for location.
• Osteotomy length had no significant effect on change in angle.
• Prediction intervals showed wide individual variation in outcomes, especially with more proximal osteotomies.
• No increase in complications was associated with more proximal osteotomies, contrary to past assumptions.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• Lateral humeral condylar fractures = 69.8% of cases; medial = 16.2%; Y/T = 14.0%
• Falls/stairs were the inciting trauma in 45.6% of cases; significantly younger dogs were more likely to fracture after major trauma (p = 0.01)
• Complication rate = 22% (10 major, 20 minor); implant migration and seroma most common
• Fixation method had no significant impact on complication rates (p = 0.87)
• Epicondylar comminution was significantly associated with complications (p = 0.02, OR = 3.27)
• Contralateral intracondylar fissure found in 9.8%, none progressed to fracture during study
• Wide inter-center variation in complication rate (5–62%, p = 0.002)

🔍 Key Findings

From Allaith et al., 2023 – Outcomes from a multiuser canine hip replacement registry

• 2375 total hip replacements were analyzed across 1852 dogs, making this the largest multiuser canine THR dataset to date.
• Most common indications for THR were hip dysplasia (51%) and osteoarthritis (34%).
• Implants used included Kyon (46%), BioMedtrix CFX (22%), Hybrid (11%), BFX (9%), and Helica (4.5%).
• Veterinary-reported complication rate was 8.5%, while owner-reported was 23%, with moderate agreement (k=0.44).
• Most common complications: Luxation, femoral fracture, and aseptic loosening.
• BioMedtrix BFX and Helica implants had a higher risk of complications when used after femoral head and neck excision (P = .031).
• Postoperative LOAD scores significantly improved vs preoperative (21 → 11; P < .0001), supporting improved mobility.
• Owner satisfaction was high, with 88% rating outcome as very good or good.

🔍 Key Findings

• Locked facet injuries in dogs involved unilateral dorsal displacement of the cranial articular process of the caudal vertebra, most commonly at C5/6 or C6/7.
• All affected dogs were small/toy breeds, typically following trauma (most often attacks by larger dogs).
• Neurologic severity ranged from ambulatory tetraparesis to tetraplegia, often with thoracic limb deficits more severe than pelvic limbs — suggesting a central cord syndrome-like pattern.
• CT and MRI revealed axial rotation, subluxation, and articular process displacement; MRI showed T2 hyperintensity, nerve root impingement, and soft tissue changes.
• Surgical treatment included ventral fixation with screws, pins, and PMMA, and one case required dorsal facetectomy for reduction.
• Medical management, including external coaptation or rest, also resulted in functional recovery in select cases.
• All dogs with follow-up data (8/8) had functional recovery, with nonambulatory dogs regaining ambulation in a median of 4 weeks.
• No consistent differences in outcome were observed between surgical and nonsurgical management, suggesting locked facets may be biomechanically stable.

🔍 Key Findings

• Histologic agreement between 3 mm and 5 mm biopsies was 90%, with a Gwet's AC1 of 0.81 (p < .0001).
• 5 mm biopsies yielded significantly more portal triads and lobules than 3 mm samples (p = .0003 and p < .0001).
• Crush artifacts were significantly higher in 3 mm samples (p = .035), though fragmentation scores were similar (p = .935).
• Both forceps produced adequate samples for histopathology, copper quantification, and bacterial culture.
• No hemorrhage requiring intervention occurred, and both sizes were deemed safe and minimally invasive.
• Surface area ≥40 mm² strongly predicted ≥11 portal triads, a desirable threshold for reliable histopathology.
• Use of 3 mm instruments was easier in small dogs (<12 kg), but more challenging in larger dogs due to shaft length.
• Clinical diagnoses were unaffected by forceps size, even in the one discordant histologic pair.

🔍 Key Findings

• 65% of stifles with patella luxation and intact CCLs had increased radiographic soft tissue opacity
• Weight and radiographic OA were significantly associated with increased opacity (p = .0029 and p = .0143)
• Each 1 kg increase in weight increased the odds of opacity by 10%
• Grade of patella luxation, age, and muscle atrophy were not significantly associated with increased opacity
• 19% of dogs with long-term follow-up developed a CCL rupture post-patella surgery, 50% of those had opacity at initial presentation
• Radiographic opacity alone should not be interpreted as CCL disease in dogs with patella luxation
• Radiographic findings likely represent effusion or synovial hyperplasia, not CCL pathology
• Arthrotomy was used to confirm CCL integrity at surgery, but arthroscopy could provide better sensitivity

🔍 Key Findings

• Electroceutical dressing (PED) promoted complete healing of chronic wounds in both a dog and a cat previously unresponsive to standard therapies.
• Infection clearance occurred in both animals by the end of PED therapy, as shown by negative culture results.
• In the dog, wound area reduced by ~4.2× over 10 days; healing completed by day 67 with no further antibiotic therapy.
• In the cat, wound area reduced by ~2.5× over 17 days; healing completed by day 47 without systemic antibiotics.
• PEDs function via direct current (DC) stimulation, believed to generate hypochlorous acid (HOCl) with antibacterial properties.
• No side effects or adverse tissue reactions were observed in either case, supporting biocompatibility.
• Multidrug-resistant organisms (e.g., S. pseudintermedius, S. canis, S. epidermidis) were eradicated by PED treatment.
• PED therapy may reduce reliance on antibiotics and surgery, offering a novel adjunct for chronic, infected wounds.

🔍 Key Findings

• No significant difference in cardiac troponin I levels 12h post-op between mDN and St. Thomas cardioplegia groups (p = 0.478)
• Sinus rhythm returned faster in the mDN group after aortic cross-clamp removal (median 60s vs 362s, p = 0.027)
• Lower serum potassium at cross-clamp removal in the mDN group (median 4.5 mEq/L vs 5.4, p = 0.005)
• Fewer doses needed in the mDN group (median 2.5 vs 4.0, p = 0.040)
• Higher total crystalloid volume used in mDN group (23.6 vs 12.6 mL/kg, p < 0.001)
• No difference in survival (700-day survival 90% in both groups, p = 0.958)
• No difference in hospitalization duration (median 6 days for both, p = 0.789)
• Echocardiographic remodeling similar between groups at 24h post-op

🔍 Key Findings

• Major complications occurred in 25.6% of limbs treated with PAUL, including non-union, implant failure, and infection requiring revision surgery.
• Increased body weight was significantly associated with a higher risk of complications (7% increased risk per additional kg; p = .04).
• Post-operative radiographic assessment was unreliable in predicting complications; inter-observer agreement was poor (kappa ≤ 0.12).
• Expert evaluation of implant or reduction errors had low predictive value (k < 0.2) for postoperative complications.
• Common major complications included non-union (6 limbs), screw breakage, and surgical site infections.
• Implant removal was required in 11.5% of limbs, mostly due to non-union or infection.
• Being a Labrador appeared protective on univariate analysis, but not on multivariate analysis after adjusting for weight.
• Radiographs showing suboptimal plate placement or osteotomy reduction did not reliably correlate with actual complication occurrence.