Tissue oxygen saturation in dogs with acute hemorrhage

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Hemorrhagic shock in dogs presents a diagnostic challenge in emergency settings.
• Assessing tissue oxygenation is crucial for managing shock.
• Non-invasive monitoring of tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) may aid in early diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate initial tissue hemoglobin oxygen saturation (StO2) in dogs presenting to an emergency room (ER) for acute hemorrhage.
• To determine if StO2 can differentiate between shocked and healthy dogs.
• To establish a potential StO2 threshold for identifying shock.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, observational study conducted at a university veterinary teaching hospital.
• Enrolled 38 dogs with acute hemorrhage and included 78 healthy dogs as controls.
• Measured StO2, alongside clinicopathologic and physiologic parameters, in ER dogs with hemorrhage.

Main Results:

• Dogs with hemorrhagic shock exhibited significantly lower StO2 compared to healthy controls.
• No statistical difference in StO2 was found between different levels of shock (mild, moderate, severe).
• A StO2 cutoff value of 87.6% demonstrated good accuracy in identifying dogs with shock (AUC: 0.824).

Conclusions:

• Dogs experiencing hemorrhagic shock have reduced tissue oxygen saturation (StO2).
• StO2 measurement is a valuable tool for detecting shock in emergency veterinary medicine.
• The identified StO2 threshold can assist clinicians in diagnosing hemorrhagic shock in dogs.