Trends in feline perianesthetic death postmortem submissions from a referral teaching hospital and general practices in Saskatchewan (Canada) and a proposed postmortem checklist.

Abstract

Lesions associated with perianesthetic death (PAD) postmortem submissions are infrequently reported in the literature, with no studies comparing findings between general and referral practices (RPs). This study compared PAD postmortem submissions in cats from a referral teaching hospital (referral practice, RP) and general practices (GP) in Saskatchewan. In the RP, death was most commonly due to euthanasia (15/23, 65%), with most cases having severe underlying disease. In GP, most deaths were unassisted (37/45, 82%), and most animals (33/37, 89%) had an undiagnosed condition or an unknown cause of death. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification was high (ASA III-V) in 16/23 (70%) of RP cases and low (ASA I-II) in 38/45 (85%) of GP cases. Cats with limited medical history accounted for 5/23 (22%) of the RP submissions and 17/45 (38%) of the GP submissions. Reporting of gross examination findings and tissues collected for histologic examination were inconsistent. For example, although the presence of negative pressure within the thoracic cavity is evaluated routinely during a complete postmortem examination, its presence (or absence) was only reported in 4/45 (9%) of cases where the animal died unassisted. No significant difference was found in determining the cause of death between RP and GP when euthanized cases were excluded (P = .445). A standardized perianesthetic postmortem checklist is proposed to enhance reporting and improve diagnostic consistency.