Pulmonary lobectomy in the management of pneumonia in dogs: 59 cases (1972-1994)

Objective - To evaluate the risk and efficacy of pulmonary lobectomy in dogs with pneumonia. Design - Retrospective study. Animals - 59 dogs with pneumonia. Procedure - Review of medical records and telephone conversations. Results - 54.2% of dogs had resolution of pneumonia after lobectomy, 20.3% died in the perioperative period, and 25.4% survived the perioperative period but pneumonia did not resolve. Pneumonia was caused by bacteria (25 dogs), fungi (12), foreign bodies (8), parasites (1), viruses (1), and allergies (1), In 11 dogs, the etiologic agent was not isolated. Bacterial or fungal pneumonias were significantly less likely to resolve compared with foreign body pneumonia or when an etiologic agent was not isolated. Perioperative mortality rate increased significantly with an increase in number of pulmonary lobes removed. Complications during surgery significantly increased perioperative mortality rate. Surgical era (1972 to 1983 vs 1984 to 1994) was a significant predictor of mortality, with the odds of dying in the perioperative period being 11 times greater between 1972 to 1983. The odds of failure to resolve pneumonia was 3 times greater during 1972 to 1983. Clinical Implications - Number of pulmonary lobes removed and complications during surgery significantly affect perioperative mortality rate. Identification of etiologic agents may help in predicting dogs likely to resolve pneumonia after surgery.