Retrospective Evaluation of Treatment and Survival of Blunt Trauma-Associated Pneumothorax in Dogs: 89 Cases...

To evaluate and describe therapeutic interventions and survival to discharge associated with blunt trauma-associated pneumothorax (PTX) in dogs and secondarily to analyze the association between the animal trauma triage (ATT) and the modified ATT (ATTnpr) scores and therapeutic interventions and survival to discharge.

Retrospective study from 2018 to 2022.

University teaching hospital and private practice hospital.

Eighty-nine dogs admitted to the hospital had sustained blunt trauma-associated PTX.

Medical records were retrospectively reviewed, and signalment, cause of blunt trauma, PTX-specific therapeutic intervention, length of hospitalization, and survival to discharge were recorded. ATT and ATTnpr scores were assigned to all patients. A total of 37 (42%) dogs received therapeutic intervention for blunt trauma-associated PTX, whereas 52 dogs (58%) received no PTX-specific treatment. Of the 37 dogs that received PTX-specific treatment, 22 (59%) had only thoracocentesis performed, 11 (30%) had thoracostomy tubes placed after thoracocentesis, and 4 (11%) had thoracostomy tubes placed without the previous thoracocentesis. All thoracostomy tubes were placed via a modified Seldinger technique. The median ATT score was 4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 2-5), and the median ATTnpr score was 3 (IQR: 1-4). The ATT score was not associated with any PTX-specific therapeutic intervention. The ATTnpr score was not associated with thoracocentesis but was associated with both thoracostomy tube placement and survival to discharge. The prognosis for dogs with blunt trauma-associated PTX was very good, with 87.6% of dogs surviving to discharge.

Blunt trauma-associated PTX is associated with a high survival to discharge, and most dogs did not require PTX-specific therapeutic intervention. Dogs with higher ATTnpr scores were more likely to require thoracostomy tube placement and were less likely to survive to discharge.