Postoperative body weight increase and surgical wound complications in soft tissue surgery: A retrospective study

Saki Kageyama, Shinya Mizutani, Yoshimichi Goda, Akihiro Ohnishi, Taketoshi Asanuma, Risuke Mizuno

Abstract in English, French
Objective: Our objective was to identify factors associated with the occurrence of surgical wound complications in dogs and cats undergoing soft tissue surgeries; particularly, intraoperative fluid administration and postoperative body weight changes.
Animals and procedure: Forty-seven client-owned animals (35 dogs, 12 cats) underwent laparotomy, thoracotomy, or other soft tissue procedures with skin incisions at the Okayama University of Science Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (Imabari, Japan) (2021 to 2024). All surgeries were conducted by the same veterinarian specializing in soft tissue surgery. Surgical wound complications were defined as inflammation, infection, or suture-associated granuloma. Variables assessed included duration of anesthesia, intraoperative fluid administration, and changes in body weight between the preoperative period and postoperative Day 1. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.
Results: Complications occurred in 21 of 47 animals (44.7%). Median duration of anesthesia was significantly longer in animals with complications compared to those without. Intraoperative fluid administration did not differ significantly between groups. However, postoperative body weight increase was significantly associated with the occurrence of wound complications, with multivariate analysis identifying body weight increase as a significant, associated factor (odds ratio: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.69). The incidence of wound complications showed a significant increase in relation to postoperative body weight increase (P = 0.0315).
Conclusion: Increased postoperative body weight, but not intraoperative fluid administration, was associated with the occurrence of surgical wound complications. Prolonged duration of anesthesia was also correlated with complication risk.
Clinical relevance: Monitoring postoperative body weight may serve as a simple and practical method to predict wound complications after soft tissue surgery in dogs and cats. Prospective studies with larger cohorts are warranted to confirm these findings.