Successful use of lipid emulsion to resuscitate a foal after intravenous lidocaine induced cardiovascular collapse.

BACKGROUND: Lipid emulsion has been reported to be effective for the treatment of local anaesthetic overdoses in rats, dogs and man. OBJECTIVES: To describe the successful treatment of cardiovascular lidocaine toxicity in a foal with intravenous lipid administration. STUDY DESIGN: Observational study: case report. METHODS: An 8-month-old Arabian cross foal was anaesthetised for removal of the right alar fold and nasal plate. Anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen and lidocaine administered with a loading dose followed by a continuous rate infusion (CRI). The anaesthetic period was uneventful and 30 min before expected termination of the procedure lidocaine infusion was stopped. A sudden drop in mean arterial blood pressure was then observed. The ECG signal was lost, the end tidal CO2 tension dropped from 40 to 10 mmHg, corneal reflex was absent and asystole diagnosed. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation manoeuvres were immediately initiated, but epinephrine and atropine were unsuccessfully administered. Lipid emulsion was administered and the heart rate and arterial blood pressure gradually returned to normal. RESULTS: The foal recovered consciousness 3 h later, regained its sternal position, was responsive and 20 h later was able to stand up alone. MAIN LIMITATIONS: It will be necessary to evaluate a greater number of cases to determine the effectiveness of lipids in foals intoxicated with lidocaine. CONCLUSION: Intravenous lipid emulsion may be helpful in the treatment of potentially lethal cardiotoxicity attributable to lidocaine overdose in the foal.

Computational flow cytometry reveals that cryopreservation induces spermptosis but subpopulations of spermatozoa may experience capacitation-like changes.

The reduced lifespan of cryopreserved spermatozoa in the mare reproductive tract has been attributed to both capacitative and apoptotic changes. However, there is a lack of studies investigating both phenomena simultaneously. In order to improve our knowledge in this particular point, we studied in raw and frozen-thawed samples apoptotic and capacitative markers using a wide battery of test based in flow cytometry. Apoptotic markers evaluated were caspase 3 activity, externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS), and mitochondrial membrane potential. Markers of changes resembling capacitation were membrane fluidity, tyrosine phosphorylation, and intracellular sodium. Conventional and computational flow cytometry using nonlinear dimensionally reduction techniques (t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE)) and automatic classification of cellular expression by nonlinear stochastic embedding (ACCENSE) were used. Most of the changes induced by cryopreservation were apoptotic, with increase in caspase 3 activation (P < 0.01), PS translocation to the outer membrane (P < 0.001), loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (P < 0.05), and increase in intracellular Na+ (P < 0.01). Average values of markers of capacitative changes were not affected by cryopreservation; however, the analysis of the phenotype of individual spermatozoa using computational flow cytometry revealed the presence of subpopulations of spermatozoa experiencing capacitative changes. For the first time advanced computational techniques were applied to the analysis of spermatozoa, and these techniques were able to disclose relevant information of the ejaculate that remained hidden using conventional flow cytometry.

Histological findings in equine testes one year after standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty.

In order to know reproduction-related complications due to standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty, histological characteristics of the testicles from five stallions one year after surgery were compared with seven testicles from four healthy stallions. Moreover, the daily sperm output (DSO) was determined before (T0) and one year after surgery (T12). DSO did not show significant differences between T0 and T12. The diameter of the seminiferous tubules was significantly decreased in the samples from the hernioplasty group. The percentage of tubules with full spermatogenesis was smaller in the hernioplasty group, but the difference was not significant. It can be concluded that standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty produced mild histological changes in the testicular parenchyma, epididymis and pampiniform plexus after one year follow-up.

Standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty of the vaginal rings does not modify the sperm production and motility characteristics in intact male horses.

Laparoscopic hernioplasty techniques have been developed in the recent years to avoid the recurrence of inguinal hernias and to spare the testicles for breeding purposes in stallions. However, there have been no previous comprehensive and systematic studies of the reproductive outcomes and prognoses for stallions after inguinal hernioplasty. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the possible effects of one of these techniques (standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty) on the sperm production and motility characteristics of six healthy stallions that received this procedure based on 1-year follow-ups. There were no significant differences in the measured sperm variables (assessments based on the DSO, MOT, PMOT, VSL, VCL and VAP) during 1-year follow-ups.

Intra and postoperative assessment of re-sterilised Ligasure Atlas for orchidectomies in horses: clinical study.

Horses (n=35) underwent orchidectomy in a single institution with a re-sterilised LSA as sole means of haemostasis. During the surgery, the gross quality of the seal, the stickiness of the forceps to the tissues, bleeding/oozing from the stump and the need for a subsequent application in already severed spermatic cord were assessed for haemostasis quality. After surgery, physical parameters (appearance of the mucous membranes, quality of the peripheral pulse, heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature and blood dripping from the incisions), haematology or packed cell volume and total protein were monitored to assess signs of bleeding or any other condition. For cleanliness and asepsis assessment, signs of surgical infection were recorded. Complications during surgery were mild degree of sticking of the LSA forceps to the tissues and dulling of the blade. There was no need to reapply LSA a second time except in one horse. This means a haemostasis complication rate of 2.85 per cent of the horses. No postoperative bleeding was detected. Only two horses with fever had associated signs of surgical site infection. This means an infection rate of 5.71 per cent of the horses.

Prolonged anesthesia with desflurane and fentanyl in dogs during conventional and laparoscopic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of prolonged anesthesia with desflurane in dogs undergoing laparotomy or abdominal laparoscopy. DESIGN: Randomized prospective study. ANIMALS: 20 adult mixed-breed dogs. PROCEDURE: Dogs were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups with 10 dogs/group. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with desflurane and fentanyl, and pyloroplasty was performed. In 10 dogs, a ventral midline laparotomy was performed; in the other 10, abdominal laparoscopy was performed. Dogs were monitored for cardiovascular and respiratory responses (ECG, oxygen saturation [SpO2], arterial blood pressure, rectal temperature, end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide [PETCO2], and expired desflurane concentration). Recovery times were recorded. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD duration of anesthesia was 201 +/- 25 minutes for dogs undergoing laparotomy and 287 +/- 15 minutes for dogs undergoing laparoscopy. Anesthesia was accompanied by hypotension that was less severe in dogs undergoing laparoscopy. Heart rate did not vary significantly during anesthesia. The SpO2 was > 97% in all dogs at all times, and PETCO2 remained within reference limits. Recovery times for dogs that underwent laparotomy were not significantly different from those for dogs that underwent laparoscopy. Mean +/- SD time to standing was 13.6 +/- 2.4 minutes for dogs that underwent laparotomy and 12.5 +/- 2.9 minutes for dogs that underwent laparoscopy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that induction of anesthesia with propofol and maintenance with desflurane and fentanyl is safe in dogs undergoing abdominal surgery.