TRAUMATIC HEMOPERITONEUM IN 28 CASES - A RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW

This study was conducted to evaluate and describe presenting clinical signs, course, management, and outcome of small animal patients that s uffered severe traumatic hemoperitoneum. The medical records of 28 blu nt trauma patients diagnosed as having hemoperitoneum and requiring th e transfusion of blood products for stabilization were analyzed. The s urvival rate was 16/28 (57%). Six patients died from natural causes, a nd six patients were euthanized. Euthanized patients were not consider ed for the analysis of outcome. The survival rates for six animals tha t had surgical intervention and 16 animals that were treated medically were 67% and 75%, respectively. Statistically larger animals had a be tter prognosis (p less than 0.05, unpaired t-test) for survival. Prese nting clinical signs, packed cell volume (PCV), peripheral pulse rate, effusion PCV site of intra-abdominal hemorrhage, and age were not fou nd to correlate statistically with survival nor with the decision to p erform an abdominal exploratory.