Incidence and clinical relevance of hyperglycemia in critically ill dogs.

Background: Hyperglycemia associated with critical illness in nondiabetic human patients is a common occurrence in the intensive care unit (ICU), with a reported incidence as high as 71%.

Hypothesis: Hyperglycemia in critically ill dogs increases the risk of morbidity and mortality.

Animals: Two hundred forty-five dogs hospitalized in the ICU over a 2-month period were evaluated.

Methods: Prospective observational study was conducted over a 2-month period. All dogs in the ICU had their highest daily blood glucose concentration recorded. All dogs with diabetes were excluded from the study. Hyperglycemia was defined as a blood glucose concentration >120 mg/dL. Dogs with hyperglycemia were monitored for persistence and resolution of hyperglycemia.

Results: During the study period, 245 dogs were evaluated, of which 38 (16%) were hyperglycemic. Twenty-six percent (10/ 38) developed hyperglycemia during hospitalization, whereas 74% (28/38) were hyperglycemic at presentation. Length of hospitalization (LOH) was shorter in dogs that presented with hyperglycemia compared with those that developed hyperglycemia during hospitalization (P = .001). Seventy-one percent (27/38) of dogs were discharged from the hospital, whereas the remaining 29% (11/38) died or were euthanatized. Nonsurvivors had significantly higher median glucose concentration (median, 176 mg/dL; range 122-310 mg/dL) than did survivors (median, 139 mg/dL; 121-191 mg/dL; P = .021).

Conclusions And Clinical Importance: The incidence of hyperglycemia in this population of dogs was 16%. Dogs that developed hyperglycemia had longer LOH and nonsurvivors had more pronounced hyperglycemia than did survivors.