🔍 Key Findings

• Ventral Compression Index (VCI) ≥0.16 (extension) or ≥0.2 (flexion) was diagnostic for AAI with 100% sensitivity and >94% specificity
• VCI had the highest diagnostic accuracy among all measured variables (AUC > 0.99)
• C1-C2 overlap ≤2.7 mm (extension) or ≤1.8 mm (flexion) also diagnostic for AAI (sensitivity 84–96%, specificity 81–90%)
• C1-C2 angle ≥176.9° (extension) or ≥187.4° (flexion) had high sensitivity and specificity (~95%)
• Basion-dens interval ≥5.9 mm (extension) or ≥3.0 mm (flexion) provided moderate diagnostic accuracy
• Cranial translation ratio (CTR) ≥0.18 classified dogs as potentially unstable (sensitivity 90%, specificity 78%)
• VCI ≥0.23 reliably differentiated AAI from potentially unstable cases (sensitivity 94%, specificity 94%)
• DALR ≤0.24 had high specificity (100%) but low sensitivity for AAI diagnosis

🔍 Key Findings

• Postoperative complications occurred in 20% of stifles, including 7.5% minor, 10.3% surgical, and 3.4% medical complications.
• The PROSPECT machine-learning model achieved high predictive accuracy: 92.3% for surgical complications, 91.9% for minor, and 94.3% for medical.
• Top predictive features included surgical technique, implant type, patient age, and surgeon identity.
• Surgeon-specific variables influenced predictions, indicating operator experience and technique matter.
• Engineered interaction features (e.g., breed × implant) were more predictive than raw clinical data alone.
• Rottweiler, intact male status, and higher bodyweight were associated with increased complication risk; Labradors had decreased risk.
• Model calibration was strong, especially for high and low probability predictions; midrange predictions were less reliable.
• The model supports individualized, probabilistic risk assessment, which could inform client counseling and tailored postoperative care.

PROSPECT = Predicting Risk Of Surgical compli­cations aftEr CCWO and TPLO

🔍 Key Findings

• 83% of dogs survived to discharge after adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma.
• Median survival time post-discharge was 1169 days (3.2 years).
• Preoperative alpha-blocker therapy (e.g., phenoxybenzamine) was not associated with improved survival.
• Dogs receiving alpha-blockers had higher intraoperative systolic BP, with median values 170 mmHg vs. 142 mmHg in non-treated dogs (P = .01).
• Intraoperative arrhythmias occurred in 30% of cases, with no difference between dogs receiving alpha-blockers and those not.
• Histologic vascular invasion occurred in ~70% of tumors.
• Tumor recurrence was suspected in 3 dogs, and metastasis in 8 dogs, though not histologically confirmed in most cases.
• Postoperative complications included refractory hypotension, acute kidney injury, and hypertension persisting >48 hours in 10 dogs.

🔍 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

• High clinical union rate (93.4%) was achieved across 75 fractures treated with the OrthoLine™ system.
• Owner-assessed outcomes were universally acceptable or full, with no unacceptable outcomes reported.
• Overall major complication rate was 12.2%, including implant failure (1.1%) and implant infection (2 cases).
• Shorter plate spans in radial (46.6%) and ulnar (33.0%) fractures were well tolerated without increased nonunion.
• Femoral constructs used longer plate spans (73.3%) compared with radius/ulna, reflecting differing biomechanical demands.
• Use of postoperative external coaptation was common (46.7%) and associated with higher minor bandage-related complications.
• Titanium alloy and stainless-steel plates both produced acceptable healing, with no delayed unions attributable to material choice.
• The OrthoLine™ system was deemed a promising alternative locking plate system for small animal fracture repair.

🔍 Key Findings

• Cook system had good reliability across all cases (ICC = 0.848), even when complications, sequelae, and failure-to-cure were included.
• aCD system had excellent reliability when excluding sequelae/failure-to-cure cases (ICC = 0.975) but only moderate reliability when including them (ICC = 0.620).
• Majority of complications (60–63%) were graded as Grade 3 in the aCD system, corresponding to surgical or anesthetic intervention.
• Cook system classified most cases (78–81%) as major complications.
• Assessors had difficulty distinguishing sequelae from Grade 1 complications, and failure-to-cure from Grades 1–2, reducing aCD reliability.
• The aCD system offers more resolution (5 grades vs. 3) and less subjectivity through objective definitions.
• Novel terminology (e.g., sequelae, failure to cure) in the aCD system may hinder its uptake without proper training.
• Reclassifying expected events (e.g., swelling, bruising) as sequelae could significantly reduce reported complication rates in other studies.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• Success rate: All 9 cats underwent successful laparoscopic partial pancreatectomy.
• Complications:
  • 1 minor intraoperative hemorrhage (Grade 1)
  • 1 sterile peritonitis (Grade 2) post-op, resolved conservatively
• Pancreatic function:
  • fTLI decreased by 37% (p = .03), but stayed within normal limits
  • fPLI and A1C were unchanged
• Resection details:
  • Mean weight: 3.0 ± 1.4 g
  • Mean surgical time: 59.7 ± 16.2 min
• Follow-up: 250–446 days — all cats remained clinically healthy
• Conclusion: Ultrasonic LPP is safe and effective in healthy cats, preserving endocrine/exocrine function

🔍 Key Findings

• Remote respiratory function grading (RFG) had poor to moderate reliability compared to in-person assessment.
• Expert graders had higher agreement with in-person scores than novices (Cohen’s kappa 0.37–0.48 vs. 0.21–0.47).
• Interobserver agreement was moderate among experts (Fleiss’ kappa = 0.59) and poor among novices (Fleiss’ kappa = 0.39).
• Remote recordings suffered from background noise, short clip durations, and technical limitations of electronic stethoscope recordings.
• Final RFG scores were based on the highest grade across categories (respiratory noise, inspiratory effort, dyspnea/cyanosis/syncope).
• Clinical impact: Only in-person grading reliably supports decisions for surgical intervention or breeding restrictions.

🔍 Key Findings

• Spaced instruction (SI) improved immediate performance on the first learned skill compared to massed instruction (MI) in both LSU and LMU cohorts.
• Cognitive load was higher in MI students at LMU, particularly in physical demand, effort, and frustration, while LSU showed no significant cognitive load differences.
• Skill performance differences disappeared after 2 weeks of supervised practice, regardless of instructional format.
• Time to complete skills improved over time, but this did not always correlate with improved checklist or global rating scores.
• Intrinsic cognitive load increased when teaching more complex or related surgical tasks in the same session.
• Initial skill complexity and prior exposure may influence effectiveness of spaced vs massed instruction.
• Supervised practice sessions are critical to eliminate initial skill disparities between instructional methods.
• Massed instruction may still be acceptable if followed by scheduled practice opportunities.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• 89 French Bulldogs with HCF; 40.4% (36/89) had contralateral HIF
• Prophylactic transcondylar screws placed in 20/36 HIF; no complications in these
• Complication rate for HCF repair = 13.4% (6.7% minor, 6.7% major)
• Most complications occurred with Kirschner wire fixation
• Short-term outcome: Bone healing observed in all, but 14/45 had persistent intracondylar gap
• Long-term outcomes (n=27):
  • Excellent = 66.7%
  • Good = 29.6%
  • Fair = 3.7%
• Complication-free dogs significantly more likely to have excellent/good outcomes (p = 0.007)