Bovine Caesarean Sections and Dam Survival at 14 Days Post-Operatively

Abstract This observational clinical project took place between November 2013 and October 2015 in the United Kingdom. The primary aim was to ascertain relationships between factors associated with cattle caesarean sections and subsequent dam survival at 14 days post-operatively. For this project, a total of 300 variables were collected by 400 veterinary surgeons, spread over 51 clinics that were members of the XLVets UK group, at some stage of the project. An initial total of 4646 cases of caesarean section were collected, 2900 of which were fed into the non-randomised multilevel fixed-effects logistic regression, with the veterinary surgeon nested within the veterinary clinic as a random effect. The original study hypothesis, that there is no difference in dam survival between dairy and beef breeds, was rejected. This research identified as strong outcome predictors as shorter duration of surgery (from skin incision to calf removal), paravertebral anaesthesia, exteriorising the uterus for hysterotomy, beef breeds for operated dams, the dam standing during surgery, and oversewing (double layer) the uterine incision. Strong outcome predictors that worsened survival at 14 days post-operatively included a deteriorating uterine index score, a higher score of veterinarian dissatisfaction with the surgery, a higher lactation number, and twin pregnancy. The project found several variables not linked to the outcome, such as antiseptic protocol, suture material or pattern used for closure of any incision, type or route of antibiosis used, use of a protective drape, rinsing or cleansing the uterine incision, removing abdominal blood clots, calf sex, or cause of dystocia. Information © The Author 2025