Retrospective study of the mortality and morbidity associated with general inhalant anesthesia in dogs

Abstract

The records of 1153 dogs that underwent inhalant general anesthesia at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of São Paulo State University (UNESP, Campus of Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil) from July 2000 until January 2003 were reviewed. We aimed at determining the mortality and morbidity rates, as well as their correlation with inhalation agents used for anesthetic maintenance, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of the patients. The overall morbidity rate was 9.19%, whereas mortality rate was 1.13%. Although the data analysis showed the occurrence of complications and death in patients initially thought to be risk free and in patients where safe anesthetic agents were used, no statistical correlation was determined to exist between morbidity or mortality and either the ASA classification of the animals or the anesthetic agent.