Objective: To measure tissue oxygen saturation (StO2 ) in a population of dogs with naturally occurring shock and to evaluate the relationship of StO2 with an established veterinary severity scoring system (Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation) and patient survival.
Design: Prospective observational study.
Setting: University teaching hospital.
Animals: Twenty-five adult dogs presenting in shock, as determined by the presence of hypotension, the calculated shock index, and hyperlactatemia.
Interventions: StO2 was measured prior to any therapeutic interventions. Blood samples were also collected for measurement of plasma lactate, complete blood count, and a serum biochemical profile. Abdominal and thoracic focused assessment with sonography was also performed.
Measurements and main results: Dogs enrolled in this study had lower mean (±SD) StO2 values (65.12 ± 17.7%) than previously reported in experimental models of canine hemorrhagic shock. There was a moderate correlation between lower StO2 and increasing Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation scores. A single StO2 value, assessed prior to therapeutic intervention, was not a sensitive predictor of mortality in this population.
Conclusions: Dogs with naturally occurring shock have lower mean StO2 values than those previously reported in dogs with experimentally induced shock. A lower initial StO2 was associated with worse disease severity but was not a significant predictor of survival in this population.
Keywords: dogs; hypovolemia; illness severity; oxygenation indices.
© Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2019.