Problems in Equine Anesthesia: Risks, CV, Ventilation, Recovery Techniques & Complications Flashcards
what are the problems of equine anesthesia (10)
- P(A-a)O2 (VQ mismatch)
- hypercapnia
- hypotension
- fitness
- tympany
- temperament
- myelomalacia
- neuropraxis
- corneal abrasions
- equine post-anesthetic myopathy (EPAM, myositis)
what are intra operatively (anesthesized) problems
CV collapse
respiratory failure
metabolic disease
what are post-operatively (recovery) problem
traumatic injury
myopathy
neuropathy
what are post-recovery problems
post-anesthetic colic
laminitis
organ failure
what are other risk factors (7)
- ASA status
- duration of anesthetic
- pain level and therapy
- temperament of individual horse
- body size, condition and fitness
- breed associated problems
- level of monitoring and degree of intervention by an experienced anesthetist
how can you mitage the risks (8)
- thorough physical exam
- appropriate planning and preparation
- treatment of disease or illness if possible
- delay or reschedule non-urgent procedures
- stabilization of patient as much as possible
- diligent and reactive monitoring of anesthetic by experienced personnel
- complete procedure in as short a time possible
- provide best possible environment for recovery
what is hypotension
reduction in mean arterial blood pressure
what is the normal blood pressure in the horse
70-90 mmHg (concerning <60mmHg)
why do horses develop hypotension (3)
inhaled anesthetic agents decrease
- contractility (reduce stroke volume)
- heart rate
- systemic vascular resistance
what is blood pressure affected by
affected by cardiac output (Q) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR)
cardiac output (Q) = stroke volume x heart rate
mean arterial BP = cardiac output (Q) x SVR
why is hypotension significant
- reduced perfusions of organs (including muscle, lungs, liver, kidney, brain)
- increased risk of other complications (reduced oxygen delivery to tissue, increased lactate build up, equine post-anesthetic myopathy (EPAM))
how is blood pressure measured (3)
- cuff
- oscillometric
- tail or distal limb
what are the advantages of non-invasive blood pressure
quick and easy
low risk of harm
what are the disadvantages of non-invasive blood pressure
- less accurate
- not continuous
what are other more invasive/direct ways to measure blood pressure
place cannula in artery
what are the risks of cannula in artery (3)
- hemorrhage
- infection
- damage to periosteum
what are the benefits to measuring blood pressure with a cannula in the artery
- accuracy and beat to beat recording and analysis
- permit sampling of arterial blood for gas analysis
how do you treat hypotension (3)
- depth on anesthesia?
- hypovolemia? crystalloids, colloids, hypertonic saline (7.2%)
- pharmacological support
what are the pharmacological treatments to treat hypotension (3)
- dobutamine infusion: increases contractility
- ephedrine: increases contractility and SVR
- phenylephrine: increases SVR
what are the most common arrhythmia in horses
primary or secondary AV block
what are the types of AV blocks in horses (2)
- intermittent low grade high vagal tone and fitness
- persistent high grade, drug incuded or disease
what is atrial fibrillation
atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia
large heart, ectopic electrical focus, increased automaticity (can be drug induced)
what arrhythmias are abnormal in horses
ventricular and juncitonal
what is the effect tachyarrhythmias
reduce cardiac output
what are the reasons for tachycardia (4)
- hypovolemia
- hypoxemia
- pain/nociception
- drug induced
what is tachycardia race horses and ponies
>40 bpm race horses
>60 bpm small pony
what is bradycardia in race horse and ponies
<24bpm race horses
<30-35 bpm small pony
what is bradycardia a precursor to
asystole (not a steady decline)
what are potential reasons for bradycardia
- hypertension: baroreceptor repsonse
- hypoxemia: when myocardium becomes hypoxemic
- drug induced
what drugs are used in cardiac arrest
atropine and adrenaline possibly calcium in PEA
what are the effects of hypercapnia
hypoventilation
reduced exhalation of CO2
life threatening
what are the effects of hypoxemia
side effect of hypoventilation
reduced uptake of oxygen
life threatening
why do horses hypoventilate
- anesthetic agents
- positioning
what are the effects of inhalants on ventilation (6)
- decrease ventilatory drive
- desensitize medullary and carotid body chemoreceptors
- reduced minute ventilation
- respiratory acidosis
- increased atelectasis and V/Q mismatch
- hypoxemia
what is atelectasis
complete or partial collapse of the entire lung or area (lobe) of the lung
it occurs when the tiny air sacs (alveoli) within the lung become deflated or possibly filled with alveolar fluid
what occurs when more isoflurane is given
the response of the receptors decreases and the tidal volume gets lower