Equine Tx + Procedures Flashcards
Local anaesthesia
- Procaine (+ adrenaline)
- Lidocaine
- Lidocaine (+ adrenaline)
- Mepivicaine
- Bupivicaine
- Local infiltration
- Intra-abdominal infiltration
- Para-vertebral
Increasing duration of local anaesthetic
- Combine w/ vasoconstricting drug e.g. Epinephrine (adrenaline)-> slower systemic uptake
Use of morphine
- Epidural
- Intra-articular
- Horses only
Local anaesthetic injection sites in head - equine
- Mandibular foramen
- Mental foramen
- Infraorbital
- Mental
Epidural - horse
- Co1 - Co2
- Lidocaine 0.2 mg/kg + Xylazine 0.17 mg/kg
OR - Morphine 0.1 mg/kg diluted to 10 - 30 mL w/ saline
Open castration
- Standing sedation
- Parietal tunic is incised to expose testis, epididymis + cord structures before any haemostatic procedure
- Grab both testes + squeeze caudally so scrotal skin is tight + median raphe is visible
- Make bold (8 cm) scrotal skin incision(s), 2 cm either side + parallel to medial raphe
- Prolapse testis through incision + incise parietal tunic
- Release testis away from body + find ligament of tail of epididymis
- Cut/emasculate ligament of tail of epididymis (place emasculators 90 degrees to cord, nut to nut) - don’t suture up
- Apply emasculator nut to nut + leave for 2 min
- Repeat for other side
- Sx wound left to heal by second intention
Closed castration
- Surgical incision not made through parietal tunic
- Hospital conditions - sterile environment - dorsal recum
- On field - lateral recum, hind limbs restrained
- Make bold scrotal skin incision (not through parietal tunic)
- Exteriorise testicle as much as possible
- Use dry swab to strip fascia back
- Place transfixing ligature around whole cord - vicryl (not always put)
- Emasculate distal to ligature - closure of parietal tunic optional (suture)
- Close skin - intradermals
- Repeat for other testicle
- Can do in one or two initial incisions
Semi-closed castration
- Like closed, but parietal tunic is opened to allow inspection inside parietal tunic - better ligature placement = gold standard
- Make incision in scrotum + exteriorise/prolapse testis + place ligature of 5 metric vicryl (around parietal tunic - may need to make window between parietal + cremastor m.)
- Make 5 cm incision in parietal tunic to expose testis -> evert
- Sharp transection of ligament of the tail of the epididymis
- Optional - second ligature - double ligated w/ transfixing + circumferential - around vas deferens + blood vessels
- Emasculate distal to ligature - check for bleeding
- Close parietal tunic w/ monocryl or can leave to heal by 2nd intention on field when opened parietal tunic to inspect for herniation then emasculate everything from cremastor m.
Henderson castration
- Closed castration
- Low-speed cordless drill w/ sterile clamp attachment
- Place on testicle + twists at high speed until it tears
Castration local anaesthesia
- 10 - 20 mL along planned incision sites under skin (cranially + caudally)
- 5 - 10 mL into each testis (will diffuse up into spermatic cord)
Standing sedation
- Alpha-2 agonist + butorphanol
- Consider nose twitch
Donkey castration
- GA + closed or semi-closed
- Has larger than normal vessels, require ligation -> inc risk of infection + FB reaction
Sx patient prep
- Clean
- Tail tied/bandaged
- Long hair trimmed/clipped
- Povidone-iodine or Chlorhexidine scrub
- IV catheter if GA
- Mouth washed if GA
Pre-op therapeutics
- IV sedatives
- IV induction if GA
- IV NSAIDs
- Prophylactic AB?
- Tetanus antitoxin?
Pre-med sedation
- IV Alpha-2 agonist + butorphanol
Induction GA
- Alpha-2 pre-med
- Ketamine + Diazepam IV
IV pre-op NSAIDs
- Flunixin or Phenylbutazone
Pre-op prophylactic AB
- IM procaine penicillin or IV oxytetracycline
(Cheap, safe, licensed, first line, correct dose)
Prevention of tetanus pre-op
- Tetanus antitoxin + toxoid vacc
- Should vacc + do procedure later
Open castration post-op management
- Confinement in clean stable for 24 h to allow stabilisation of clots
- Excercise - start after 24 h, turn out in paddock
- Oral NSAID administration for 3 d
- O observe castration site (leave site, don’t manually clean)
- Maybe oral antimicrobials - TMPS
Closed/semi-closed post-op management
- Confinement in clean stable for several days
- Return to restricted exercise over next week
- Oral NSAID admin for at least 3 d
- O observe castration site (leave site, don’t manually clean)
- Maybe oral antimicrobials - TMPS
Cryptorchid Sx techniques
- Para-inguinal
- Inguinal
- Laparoscopic Sx = standing or GA, more expensive, gold standard when testes abdominal
H+ prevention in castration
- Keep hold of the spermatic cord until assessed H+ w/ Allis tissue forceps
- Larger/older horses + donkeys - do closed/semi-closed under GA + ligatures
Blood transfusion
- When PCV < 20% in acute bleeding episode
H+
- Don’t panic, give time
- Try clamping vessel w/ Mixter right angle forceps
- Packing w/ unrolled bandage
- GA + clamp/ligate a. - referral if possible
Seroma prevention - open castration
- Big surgical incisions
- Lots of movement post-Sx = important factor
- Ligatures not used, risk of H+ + swelling
- (Stretching incisions will improve drainage)
Seroma prevention - closed castration
- Reduce dead space
- Good Sx technique
- Rest + slow return to exercise post Sx
Seroma - open castration
- Re-open wound w/ sterile gloved finger
- Focus on re-establishing drainage
- Pos antimicrobials
Seroma - closed castration
- Don’t open wound if not believed to be infected
- Focus on reducing risk of 2y infection
- Pos antimicrobials
- Wound care
Scrotal infection - open castration
- Swab first -> C&S
- Clean wound w/ antiseptic
- Thoroughly open wound (gloved finger) + lavage
- Systemic AB - TMPS, Procaine Penicillin
- Systemic NSAID - Flunixin meglumine
Scrotal infection - closed castration
- Culture if pos
- Broad spectrum AB - TMPS
- Systemic NSAID - Flunixin meglumine
Emasculation of root of penis (iatrogenic penile trauma) from castration
- Emergency referral -> repair or phallectomy
Septic funiculitis (‘Scirrhous Cord’) (castration)
- C&S
- First line = antimicrobials (recurrent failure of appropriate antimicrobials = Dx)
- Bold Sx excision of thickened avascular + necrotic tissue
Peritonitis (castration)
- Referral for intensive care - IVFT, supportive care, injectable AB, anti-inflams, +/- peritoneal lavage)
Things protruding from incision site / evisceration of omentum (castration)
- High degree of sterility
- Pull out as far as possible
- Emasculate
- Monitor closely
Evisceration of SI (castration)
- Initial aim to protect bowel from further damage + further contamination + prepare for transportation
- Make protective sling + urgent transport to clinic w/ Sx facilities
- Pos - field anaesthetic, lavage, place back in scrotum + suture skin if possible
GA
- General anaesthetic
- Recum - horses don’t cope well in recum, particularly dorsal, dome of diaphragm, a lot of weight of gut contents on lungs - won’t perfuse blood as well, ventilation problem
- Full anaesthetic kit
- GA recovery facilities
- Accessibility/versatility
- Evidence base
Standing Sx
- Local anaesthetic - local infiltration of body wall + ligaments that hold structures; intra-abdo infiltration; paravertebral
- Standing in stocks = safer
- Specialist Sx kit
- Specialist approaches
- New
- No GA needed
- In a field - owner’s stables
- No anaesthetic equipment needed
- Ovariectomy/Cryptorchidectomy - better Sx access - hanging dorsally
- Quicker return to work/exercise
- Better ventilation
Laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy / orchiectomy
- Standing sedation + local block
- Secure haemostasis - by ligasure
- Excellent wound healing
- Rapid return to exercise - flank - within 2 - 4 w
(Ventral midline - out of work for long time) - Can aspirate fluid from ovary if enlarged to make smaller + remove from smaller lateral body wall incision
Old method of ovariectomy / non-laparoscopic
- Colpotomy - incision along ventral midline of cervix through vagina -> access to abdo - surgeon carries Ecraseur through - twists ovaries off ovarian ligament
- Ventral midline approach
- Flank approach
Ovariectomy aftercare
- 4 d AB + NSAIDs
- 1 w box rest + hand-walking
- 3 w paddock rest
- Gradual return to exercise
Prevention of recurrence of NSE (nephrosplenic entrapment)
- Laparoscopic closure of nephrosplenic space
- Place sutures between dorsal aspect of spleen and body wall
- Stops colon slipping into nephrosplenic space
- (V rare to have NSE colics)
Ventriculectomy
- By endoscope
- Excision of saccule - grasping forceps/transnasal burr
- Ablation of laryngeal saccule - scar tissue forms within saccule
- Laryngeal ventricles - blind-ended sacs of larynx
- Removal - dec noise
- Turn mucosa inside-out and remove - ventrally
- Clean-contaminated sx - leave incisions to heal by 2nd intention
Laser vocal cordectomy
- Laser used to excise vocal cord
- Grasping forceps
- H+
Dorsal displacement of soft palate
- Laser cautery of caudal part of soft palate
- Repeated application at 2 - 4 mm intervals
- Total = 1000J
Baseline post-op care of colic patient/abdo Sx
- Analgesia = Flunixin, 1.1 mg/kg/day IV divide into smaller doses
- CRI IVFT - isotonic, 40 - 60 mL/kg/24 h) - dehydrated, if endotoxaemic, losing fluid from vascular space
- Intestinal obstruction - still secreting fluid more proximal (SI) from obstruction but cannot be absorbed, fluid absorbed from distal intestinal tract (large colon)
- Monitor C/V status - HR inc, PCV inc, TP inc, membrane colour - check q 2 - 4 h
- Protect Sx site - belly bandage
- Manage - IV cannula
- Gut motility - don’t feed until normal
Restoration of gut motility post-op colic Sx
- Monitor signs of gut motility
- Movement, gentle walking
- Oral fluids + food - fluid by mouth after 12 h, offer small amounts of feed early (12 - 24 h post-op)
- (Average onset of ileus = 24 h) - inc intestinal secretions, if ileus -> dehydration
Gut motility signs
- US
- HR + PCV
- Gastric reflux (q 3 - 4 h)
- Auscultation
- Faeces - but still produce w/ ileus
Post-op colic (colic Sx)
- Relaparotomy