Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep;31(5):585-594.
doi: 10.1111/vec.13088. Epub 2021 Jun 28.

Standardized capillary refill time and relation to clinical parameters in hospitalized dogs

Nolan V Chalifoux  1 , Carl F Spielvogel  1 , Darko Stefanovski  1 , Deborah C Silverstein  1
Affiliations

Standardized capillary refill time and relation to clinical parameters in hospitalized dogs

Nolan V Chalifoux et al. J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio). 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the relationship between various physical and clinicopathologic parameters and the capillary refill time (CRT) using a standard method; to evaluate the influence of emergency room (ER) versus ICU hospital location on CRT; and to identify latent subgroups among the CRT distribution.

Design: Prospective, observational study.

Setting: University teaching hospital.

Animals: Client-owned dogs in the ER (n = 40) and ICU (n = 71).

Interventions: The CRT was defined as the duration required for the oral mucosa of the upper lip to return to its original color after blanching for 4 seconds. The CRT was recorded in seconds to the 10ths place by a single observer using an automated recording device.

Measurements and main results: Median CRT for all dogs was 1.1 seconds (ER, 1.2 s; ICU, 1.1 s; P = 1.000). The CRT was significantly associated with rectal temperature (P = 0.004), systolic blood pressure (P = 0.028), body weight (P = 0.031), mucous membrane color (P = 0.007), skin turgor (P = 0.039), and acute patient physiologic and laboratory evaluation mentation score (P = 0.019) for all dogs. The CRT was related to a greater number of variables in the ER than in the ICU patient population. In general, the total population of dogs had CRTs belonging to 1 of 2 groups: either ≤1.2 or ≥1.7 seconds. A statistically significant association was found between body weight CRT ≥1.3 seconds (P = 0.02).

Conclusions: A CRT following blanching for 4 seconds may provide insight into the hydration status and hemodynamic stability of canine patients. Further research into its clinical application is warranted.

Keywords: canine; dehydration; hypovolemia; shock.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Johnson P. Practical assessment of volume status in daily practice. Top Companion Anim Med. 2016;31(3):86-93.
    1. Beecher HK, Simeone FA, Burnett CH, et al. I. The internal state of the severely wounded man on entry to the most forward hospital. Surgery. 1947;22(4):672-711.
    1. Anderson B, Kelly AM, Kerr D, et al. Impact of patient and environmental factors on capillary refill time in adults. Am J Emerg Med. 2008;26(1):62-65.
    1. Strozik K, Pieper C, Roller J. Capillary refilling time in newborn babies: normal values. Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. 1997;76(3):F193-F1F6.
    1. Strozik KS, Pieper CH, Cools F. Capillary refilling time in newborns-optimal pressing time, sites of testing and normal values. Acta Paediatr. 1998;87(3):310-312.

Publication types