Factors associated with anaesthetic deaths in primary care hospitals

Nora Matthews and others, Texas A&M University' College Station

Surveys of anaesthetic-related death rates in veterinary hospitals have shown significant reductions over the past 30 years as a result of improvements in anaesthetic agents and monitoring equipment. A recent UK study of 98,000 dogs and nearly 80,000 cats gave mortality rates of 0.17% and 0.24%, respectively The authors investigated the factors associated with anaesthetic deaths in 822 US companion animal clinics belonging to the Banfield corporate hospital group. A total of 237 canine and 181 feline deaths were recorded. The odds ratio for an increased mortality risk was greater for cats than dogs and it increased with age. The risks were also greater for emergency than for elective procedures, when the pre-anaesthetic physical examinations results were not recorded, and when pre-anaesthetic haematocrit levels were outside the reference range. Odds of death were higher for those cats in which oxygen saturation results, measured by pulse oximetry were absent. Underweight dogs had almost 15 times the risk of dying compared with normal weight range patients. In cats the likelihood of death under anaesthesia grew with increasing bodyweight.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 250(6), 655-665

A light meal three hours preoperatively reduces the incidence of gastric reflux

loannis Savvas and others, University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Gastro-oesophageal reflux is one of the major complications of general anaesthesia. and may result in fatal pulmonary aspiration of the gastric contents. As a consequence, ‘nil-by-mouth rules have been adopted in human and veterinary hospitals to reduce the risk of reflux. However, the authors examined the incidence of reflux in 120 dogs randomly assigned to receive a meal three or 10 hours before surgery A pH electrode in the oesophagus indicated that the reflux rate was significantly higher in those dogs with an effectively empty stomach than those that received their last meal just three hours before being anaesthetised.

Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 52(6), 357-363

Use of facial expressions to monitor head-related pain in horses

Johannes van Loon and Machteld van Dierendonck. Utrecht University, The Netherlands

A pain scale was developed by the authors to give a subjective assess-ment of the experiences of horses with colic. The method is based on the identification and coding of facial expression, ear position, etc. They describe a study to validate the technique in assessing acute or perioperative pain due to dental disease, ocular pain or skull trauma. Their results showed good agreement between the scores of different observers and suggest that the method, known as EQUUS-FAP allows reliable and reproducible assessments of head pain in the horse.

The Veterinary Journal 220(1), 88-90

Negative pressure wound therapy using a single-use device in dogs

Amanda Miller and others, Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Sydney New South Wales

Managing wounds affecting the lower limbs in cats and dogs can be challenging because of the limited skin available for reconstruction. Attempts to apply skin grafts will often fail because of infection, fluid accumulation or movement. Negative pressure wound therapy is now commonly used in human surgery to improve graft survival and is being increasingly applied in companion animals. The authors describe the use of a portable, disposable device for use with full-thickness, meshed skin grafts in seven dogs. With therapy provided for between four and seven days, the graft survival was 100 per cent in each case and no major complications were encountered.

Australian Veterinary Journal 94(9), 309-316

Classification, pathology and diagnosis of hearing disorders in the cat

George Strain, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge

Deafness in cats is, at best, an inconvenience and, at worse, potentially life-threatening due to an inability to detect predators or motor vehicles. Hearing loss may occur for a range of reasons, both genetic and acquired. It is particularly common as an inherited condition in white cats with blue eyes. The author reviews the different types of hearing disorders commonly encountered in companion animal practice. discusses the diagnostic approaches currently available and offers advice to veterinarians and cat owners on the management of such cases. Neurological causes of deafness are not currently treatable but some types of conductive hearing loss will respond to treatment.

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 19(3), 276-287

Treatment of radiation burns with turmeric extract

Joongsun Kim and others, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul

Skin burns are a common side-effect of radiotherapy and the most frequently encountered injury in radiation-related accidents. Curcumin, an agent present in the oriental spice turmeric, has been shown to promote skin healing in experimental studies. The authors examined the potential value of this compound as a treatment, applied twice daily for 35 days in miniature pigs with experimental radiation injuries. They found that curcumin did improve epithelial cell survival and the recovery of damaged skin. It therefore may be of value in treating radiation burns.

Korean Journal of Veterinary Sciences 14(4), 435-444 (Open Access Publication)

VOL 32 • July 2017 • Veterinary Nursing Journal