Anaesthesia of Equine and Exotics Flashcards
What is the anaesthesia triad?
Unconsciousness
Analgesia
Muscle relaxation
What is the risk of death during GA ina guinea pig and in a hamster, and in a budgy and other birds?
GP: 1 in 26
Hamster: 1 in 27
Budgie: 1 in 6
Birds: 1 in 41
What is allometric scaling?
Dose requirements dont remain proportionately the same with size change. Smaller animals need larger doses per kg.
What are our main concerns when anaesthetising a horse?
- Neuropraxis - limb or facial
- Gut stasis/ileus (dont need to withold food as horses dont vomit)
- Fit horses swing depth of GA and prone to hypotension. Usually horses are ‘let down’ from peak fitness for 7-10 days.
- Recovery injuries (#s of long bones or spine are fatal)
- Ocular injuries ( hitting off surface or scratching cornea)
- Myopathies (muscle injury , myoglobin in blood, and then urine. Care with positioning, use fluid to flush myoglobins, and keep GA less than 2 hours))
- Myelopathy (damage to the spinal cord- from dorsal).
- Hypoxaemia prone during GA. Ventilation-perfusion mismatch common in lateral recumbency (the circulating blood is not fully oxygenated).
What does teh hypoxic pulmonary vasocontriction reflex do?
It shuts down poorly ventilated parts of the lung and directs blood to well-ventilated areas to avoid ventilation perfusion mismatch. This is reduced during anaesthesia.
How many ribs does a horse have?
18
What drugs are normally used in horses?
ACP often as a pre-med IM IV as calming.
Alpha 2s e.g. xyalzine, romifidine, detomidine.
Guaiphenesin (GG) - muscle relaxant should not be used alone
Ketamine - induction and injectable maintenance.
Thiopental - very fast onset of action, good if a 600lg horse wakes up.
Benzodiazepines e.g. diazepam and midazolam
Inhalants - isoflurane and better recovery with sevo (off license)
NSAIDs
Opiods - can cause restlessness e.g. box walking. E.g. buprenorphine, morphine, torb, pethidine.
Tetanus anti-toxin
Hypertonic Saline
Dobutamine - increases contracility and CO (good for treating hypotension in horses as hard to overdose)
ACP has been reported to cause priapism in horses… what is this?
A continous erect penis. (ACP is often avoided in breeding stallions)
Out of the alpha 2 agonists used in horses: xyalzine, romifidine and detomidine. Which have the best and worst:
- analgesia
-onset
-duration
-muscle ataxia
- muscle relaxation
- xyalzine best analgesia; romifidine worst.
- xyalzine quickest; romifidine slowest.
- xyalzine shortest DOA; romifidine longest
- xyalzine most muscle ataxia and relaxation, romifidine least.
Detomidine is in the middle for all of the categories.
What are the main differences when using isoflurane in horses compared to small animals?
Horses have marked respiratory depression with iso - 4bpm. Leads to notable hypercapnia. Ventilators often needed.
Describe the characteristics of pethidine for use in a horse
- licensed UK
- full mu agonsit opiod
- duration of action only approx 1 hour.
- large volume IM injection
What is the dose of morphine for a horse and duration of action ?
0.1-0.2mg/kg IV and 4 hours of action
Describe the use of buprenorphine in horses?
Licensed UK
Slow onset of action, even IV
Long duration of action 6-8 hours
Gut motility side effects
Dose 6-10mcg/kg
Why is hypertonic saline of use in horses?
Great GA risk and hard to get enough fluid into them as such large volumes required. A bolus in a horse might be 50-60 litres! It is importnat to follow hypertonic saline with crystalloids.
What technique is often used instead of ‘sedation’ or GA in horses?
Standing chemical restraint (SCR) or standing surgical anaesthesia (SSA)
What risks to we need to be aware of for SCR in horses?
- Head position (congestion of blood in a drooped head can lead to airflow issues in the obligate nasal breathers)
- Stocks (ensure head and neck not pressing onto gate and impeding blood flow in carotid arteries causing fainting)
- Noise and touch - horses are sensitive to noise under sedation, also if you touch the horse it may jump or kick.
- ensure effective desensitisation before starting!
What should be checked on the horse prior to GA?
Shoes. Any loose shoes can cause damage as can be sharp and damage contralateral limb. Can remove shoes, tape or bandage feet.
Wash the horses mouth out incase food in there.
What are the sites used for IV cannulation in a horse?
Jugular vein- either up or down facing
What are the pros and cons of an upward jugular cannula vs a downwards one?
Upwards is technically easier to palce, but its against blood flow and more turbulent (thereofre more likely to cause thrombophlebitis). If the cap dislodges blood will clot and flow will cease.
Downwards is harder to place but with blood flow and less turbulant.If the cap dislodges air can get into the vein causing an embolus.
Why is jugular flow so important in horses?
They solely rely on the jugular to drain the head, if blocked causes swelling.
What is the dose of ACP in horses?
0.02-0.03mg/kg not exceeding 0.05mg/kg
What IV premeds are commonly used in horses?
no more than 100ug/kg romifidine or 20ug/kg detomidine.
Usually alongside an opiod e.g. butorphanol or morphine.
What IM premeds are commonly used in horses?
Alpha 2, ACP and an opiod commonly.
Need about 3 x dose of alpha 2 than IV
What are the methods of induction in horses?
- Induction gate (padded walls, restrict movement, then can be opened once sternal -> lateral)
- Wall hold ( using people to hold against wall)
- Freefall (guided by handler)
What is the dose of ketamine for induction in a horse?
2-2.5mg/kg IV
What is the main difference in induction drug giving in horses vs small animals?
Given as bolus and not ‘to effect’
What drugs for induction of a horse require restraint induction techniques?
Guaiphenesin as produces weakness and ataxia first
Do horses require intubation?
They maintian their airways well and do not require intubation for short procedures in the field. But o2 should be supplemented.
Why do we need to be careful with a GGE infusion in horses?
Prolonged infusion can lead to accumulation of GGE leading to weakness and ataxia on recovery which is not helpful for a horse trying to stand!
Describe intubation in a horse?
Lateral recumbency. Head and neck in straight line. Mouth gag needed. Horses can go into laryngospasm. Look for condensation then advance.
What kind of intubation can be used for some oral procedures?
Nasal Endotracheal intubation usuall a smaller tube ventramedially guided.
Describe how depth of anaesthesia is assessed in horses
Eye position- tend to rotate forward instead of ventrally and dont move as much.
Palpebral reflex - run finger over eyelashes
Nystagmus - may been seen when light.
Swallow reflex will be maintained if using ketamine
Where do the ECG leads go on a horse?
Red jugular, Yellow sternum behind heart and green on thorax
Where can an arterial catheter be placed on a horse?
Facial artery
Metatarsal artery
What is commonly given when horses enter recovery?
Aplha 2s - usually remofidine as long lasting a produces little ataxia
What rate of o2 flow minumum required in horses to have an effect?
15L/min
What specific conseideration are needed for anaesthesia of a foal?
Higher fluid requirements due to water content of body higher than adults.
PDA patent for 7 days, blood flow diverted to pulmonary circualtion
Prone to ulceration of GI tract and stomach e.g. when stressed.
Why is corneal damage more common in smaller animals
Same with dogs/cats - reduced tear production and no blink to distribute. But also they usually have a mask and this can cause trauma if postioned over the eyes. Inhalational induction gas flow can dry the corneas also.
Why are smaller animals more prone to heat loss?
Higher SA to volume ratio