Elevated serum creatinine and hyponatremia as prognostic factors in canine acute pancreatitis

Objective To evaluate prognostic factors for canine acute pancreatitis based on clinical and laboratory data that can be easily assessed in veterinary practice. Design Retrospective study between January 2010 and December 2013. Methods The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis was based on clinical signs and an abnormal SNAP® cPL™ test result , concurrently with an ultrasound pattern suggestive of pancreatitis. Dogs were divided into survivors and non-survivors. Twelve clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated: respiratory rate, rectal temperature, WBC, HCT, total serum proteins, albumin, creatinine, cholesterol, total and ionized calcium, sodium, and potassium. Clinical and clinicopathological data were statistically compared between survivors and non-survivors. A value of p <0.05 was considered significant and a value of p <0.01 as highly significant. The odds ratio (OR) was calculated. Results Fifty client-owned dogs with a diagnosis of AP were enrolled. Serum creatinine (p 0.017) and sodium (p 0.004) correlated significantly with the outcome. Serum sodium < 139.0 mmol/L (139.0 mEq/L), and serum creatinine > 212 μmol/L (2.4 mg/dL) were associated significantly with poor prognosis. Azotemia (OR 12.5; CI: 1.32-118.48) and hyponatremia (OR 4.9; CI: 1.36-17.64) were associated with increased risk of death. Conclusions In dogs with acute pancreatitis, hyponatremia and azotemia seem to be significantly associated with an increased risk of death.