Study finds barbed suture gastropexy may shorten GDV surgery

CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: A new retrospective cohort study from Cornell University Hospital for Animals suggests that open right-sided barbed suture gastropexy may offer a practical time-saving alternative to standard incisional gastropexy when treating dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). In 121 client-owned dogs, investigators compared barbed suture gastropexy in 58 dogs with standard incisional gastropexy in 63 dogs and found no significant differences in perioperative mortality, perioperative or postoperative surgical complications, recurrence of GDV, or gastric dilatation without volvulus. When the gastropexy was performed as the sole procedure, barbed suture cases had a shorter mean surgical time, 53.3 minutes versus 62.6 minutes. The paper was published in Veterinary Surgery in February 2026 after online publication in October 2025. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals managing GDV, the findings support barbed suture gastropexy as a viable open surgical option that may reduce time under anesthesia without an apparent tradeoff in short-term outcomes or recurrence. That could matter in unstable emergency patients, where efficiency is valuable, although the study’s retrospective design means the results should be interpreted as supportive rather than definitive. More broadly, evidence reviews across small-animal soft tissue surgery continue to show that technique comparisons often remain underpowered or methodologically weak. For example, a Veterinary Evidence review of Gambee versus single interrupted closure after canine enterotomy found weak evidence overall, with mixed findings on speed, leak pressure, stenosis, and complications, and concluded that technique choice still largely depends on surgeon judgment. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: The next question is whether prospective or multicenter studies can confirm whether the time savings with barbed sutures translate into measurable clinical or workflow benefits in emergency practice. As with other veterinary suture-pattern comparisons, stronger study design will be important before any one approach can be recommended as clearly superior. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)