Fluid Therapy Flashcards
What is the calculation for correcting fluid loss?
Deficit (dehydration) + Ongoing Losses + Maintenance over 24hr
What are the characteristics of a 5% dehydrated horse?
Skin Tent: 1-3 sec
MM/CRT: Moist to slightly tacky, normal
HR: Normal
Other: Decreased Urine output
What are the characteristics of an 8% dehydrated horse?
Skin Tent: 3-5 sed
MM/CRT: Tacky, often 2-3 sec
HR: 40-6 bpm
Other: Decreased arterial BP
What are the characteristics of a 10-12% dehydrated horse?
Skin Tent: 5 or more sec
MM/CRT: Dry, often >4 sec
HR: 60 bpm or more
Other: Reduced jugular fill, barely detectable peripheral pulse, sunken eyes
What are the characteristics of a 12-15% dehydrated horse?
- Obvious sunken eyes
- Obvious shock
At what percent dehydration is the horse closet death or dead?
15%
T/F: Sunken eyes are more obvious in food animals and may not be very apparent in horses.
True
What is the best way to administer fluids to an animal with an intestinal obstruction?
PO- helps to break up the blockage and return mobility to GIT
What instances would we want to over-hydrate a horse?
- Impaction
- Pneumonia or dried respiratory secretions in airways
- Renal failure to provide diuresis
What are the advantages of oral administration of fluids?
- Most physiologic
- Least expensive/invasive/ complication
- Can give large volumes
- Useful for GI impaction
Horses with what issue would be best to administer fluids PO rather than IV?
Horses with decreased jugular filling
What are the disadvantages to oral administration of fluids?
Contraindicated in gastric distension and ileus
What kind of needles/catheters are typically used to administer IV fluids?
14g 5.5” needles
What veins can be used to administer IV fluids?
- Jugular vein (first choice)
- Lateral thoracic vein (dysfunctional jugular)
- Cephalic Vein
- Saphenous vein
What direction should jugular catheters be placed in order to administer fluids?
Tip towards the heart
What is the disadvantage to lateral thoracic catheters in recumbent animals?
Dislodge easily; typically only placed for low volume of fluids or for medication administration
What is the first choice for limb vein catheters?
Cephalic vein- may clot easily
What is a disadvantage of saphenous catheter placement?
Easily bent by limb motion and poorly tolerated
When is a saphenous catheter going to be beneficial?
Severely depressed horses when other places have been overused/can’t be accessed
What are the advantages of IV fluid administration?
- Easy access
- Nearly unlimited fluid volume limit
- Allows for easy changes in fluid plan
What are the disadvantages of IV fluid administration?
- Dangerous in compromised veins
- Sepsis- requires sterility
- Expensive
- Requires monitoring and hospitalization
Why is SQ fluid administration nearly never used in adult horses?
Skin is not very elastic
Can sometimes be used in foals
What kind of needles/catheters are used for IP fluid administration?
Same as for jugular- 14g 5.5”
Where are IP fluid administered?
Dorsal aspect of the left flank at the paralumbar fossa on the left
Why are IP fluids ONLY administered on the left?
The cecum lives on the right and you don’t want to poke it
What are the disadvantages to IP fluid administration?
You cannot give large volumes of fluid (can lead to colic) and risk of septic peritonitis if not done sterile
What position should the horse be in for rectal administration of fluids?
Hind end on an incline above the head
What are the advantages of rectal fluid administration?
- Allows for absorption across rectum mucosa
- Large volumes at rapid rates
- Easy for severely dehydrated animals to increase circulating volume
- Good choice when PO would be ideal but is contraindicated (reflex)
What are the disadvantages of rectal fluid administration?
- Unlikely to help in moderate to severe ileus
- Contraindicated in severe colitis and diarrhea
What are the flow rates for a 14Gx 5.25” catheter?
219 mL/min or 13.1 L/hr