The Prognostic Utility of Venous Blood Gas Analyses at Presentation in Cats with Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema

Cats urgently visit emergency hospitals due to respiratory distress, and the chief cause is cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE). Although cats with CPE were frequently encountered in clinics, the prognostic factors were poorly reported. The objective of this retrospective study was to investigate the association of physical examination and venous blood gas parameters with the survival of cats with CPE in an emergency hospital. Thirty-six cats with CPE were ultimately included in the present study, and eight of them died within 12 h after their presentation to our hospital. Statistical analyses of clinical parameters between cats that died within 12 h and those that survived for 12 h were conducted using Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction. Cats that died within 12 h had significantly lower rectal temperatures and higher PvCO₂ than those that did not die within 12 h. Moreover, hypotension and vasoconstrictor use were related to death within 12 h of presentation and higher PvCO₂. These findings indicated the prognostic utility of body temperature and PvCO₂, and the association between hypercapnia and the severity of CPE or hypotension. A large number of prospective studies should be performed to validate these results.