Sixty years of equine anaesthesia - are we getting better at it?

Objective: To present the essence of the presentation 'CEPEF - what we knew then and what we know now' given at the autumn meeting of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists in 2024, celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Databases Used: (this is not a formal systematic review). PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and the 4th Confidential Enquiry into Equine Perioperative Fatalities (CEPEF4).

The Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities: phase 4 (CEPEF4) - a worldwide observational, prospective, multicentre cohort study in 2025.

Objective: To report on the Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities 4 (CEPEF4).

Study Design: Confidential, observational, prospective, multicentre, cohort study.

Animals: 47,396 horses/ponies undergoing general anaesthesia (GA).

Donkey and Hybrid Anaesthetic Mortality in an Observational, Prospective, Multicentre Cohort Study.

Equid anaesthetic mortality is of interest to practitioners. Data for donkey and hybrid mortality have not been specifically described. The main aim of this worldwide observational, prospective, multicentre cohort study was to report on mortality in the 7 days following a general anaesthetic or standing sedation in donkeys and hybrids.

Comparing the Use of Transverse Abdominis Plane Block and Splash Block for Postoperative Pain Control in Dogs Undergoing Mastectomy-A Blinded Randomized Prospective Clinical Study.

To compare the use of postoperative analgesia for mastectomy, 44 dogs were randomly allocated to either the Splash treatment group (group A) or the Transverse Abdominis Plane block treatment group (TAP, group B). Following intramuscular (IM) premedication with pethidine (4 mg kg) and acepromazine (0.01 mg kg), anesthesia was induced with intravenous (IV) propofol and maintained with isoflurane by an anesthetist (DC) who was unaware of the treatment.

Successful management of two horses with suspected pulmonary haemorrhage in recovery from general anaesthesia.

A 24 year old warmblood mare (case 1) and a 12 year old Holsteiner gelding (case 2) were anaesthetized for bursoscopy and phacoemulsification, respectively. Both were premedicated with intramuscular acepromazine (30 μg kg). The horses were sedated with intravenous (IV) medetomidine (7-9 μg kg to effect), before anaesthetic induction with ketamine-diazepam.

Error management in large data sets: A critical component of data collection in veterinary medicine.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of a webpage incorporating a real-time error management system for the Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities 4 (CEPEF4).

Study Design: An observational, descriptive, retrospective, longitudinal study.

Animals: Data sets from 48,075 general anaesthetics and 12,453 standing sedations.

Does perioperative electroacupuncture reduce postoperative pain in dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy?

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the analgesic efficacy of perioperative electroacupuncture in fifty-six healthy female dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy as part of a catch-neuter-release project.

Materials And Methods: Ten minutes after sedation with 20 μg/kg medetomidine combined with 0.3 mg/kg butorphanol intramuscularly, the dogs were randomly allocated into two groups and received either electroacupuncture (EA, = 27) or sham acupuncture (C, = 29) treatment for 10 min (after sedation until the end of the surgery) at 6 different acupuncture points LI-4 (Large intestine 4), LIV-3 (Liver 3), ST-36 (Stomach 36), SP-6 (Spleen 6) bilateral.

Antinociceptive and Cardiorespiratory Effects of a Single Dose of Dexmedetomidine in Laboratory Mice Subjected to Craniotomy under General Anaesthesia with Isoflurane and Carprofen or Meloxicam.

Pain refinement represents an important aspect of animal welfare in laboratory animals. Refining analgesia regimens in mice undergoing craniotomy has been sparsely investigated. Here, we sought to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine in combination with other analgesic drugs on intraoperative anti-nociceptive effects and cardiorespiratory stability.

Analgesic Efficacy of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Therapy in Horses with Abdominal Pain: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to identify the evidence concerning the analgesic efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to treat abdominal pain in horses, and to establish whether one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug could provide better analgesia compared to others. This systematic review was conducted following the "Systematic Review Protocol for Animal Intervention Studies". Research published between 1985 and the end of May 2023 was searched, using three databases, namely, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, using the words equine OR horse AND colic OR abdominal pain AND non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug AND meloxicam OR flunixin meglumine OR phenylbutazone OR firocoxib OR ketoprofen.

Data Collection for the Fourth Multicentre Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities (CEPEF4) Study: New Technology and Preliminary Results.

It is almost 20 years since the largest observational, multicentre study evaluating the risks of mortality associated with general anaesthesia in horses. We proposed an internet-based method to collect data (cleaned and analysed with R) in a multicentre, cohort, observational, analytical, longitudinal and prospective study to evaluate peri-operative equine mortality. The objective was to report the usefulness of the method, illustrated with the preliminary data, including outcomes for horses seven days after undergoing general anaesthesia and certain procedures using standing sedation.

Comparison of Recovery Quality Following Medetomidine versus Xylazine Balanced Isoflurane Anaesthesia in Horses: A Retrospective Analysis.

Medetomidine partial intravenous anaesthesia (PIVA) has not been compared to xylazine PIVA regarding quality of recovery. This clinical retrospective study compared recoveries following isoflurane anaesthesia balanced with medetomidine or xylazine. The following standard protocol was used: sedation with 7 µg·kg medetomidine or 1.

Incidence of dural sac puncture during neuraxial anesthesia in cats: an observational, retrospective study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of dural puncture, indicated by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow, in cats receiving neuraxial anesthesia through a lumbosacral injection guided by a pop sensation method.

Methods: This was an observational, retrospective study. Cats that were scheduled for lumbosacral neuraxial anesthesia were included.

Clinical Randomized Comparison of Medetomidine and Xylazine for Isoflurane Balanced Anesthesia in Horses.

To assess drug plasma levels, preanesthetic sedation, cardiopulmonary effects during anesthesia and recovery in horses anesthetized with isoflurane combined with medetomidine or xylazine. Prospective blinded randomized clinical study. Sixty horses undergoing elective surgery.

Systematic Review: Anesthetic Protocols and Management as Confounders in Rodent Blood Oxygen Level Dependent Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (BOLD fMRI)-Part B: Effects of Anesthetic Agents, Doses and Timing.

In rodent models the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) under anesthesia is common. The anesthetic protocol might influence fMRI readouts either directly or via changes in physiological parameters. As long as those factors cannot be objectively quantified, the scientific validity of fMRI in rodents is impaired.

Systematic Review: Anaesthetic Protocols and Management as Confounders in Rodent Blood Oxygen Level Dependent Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (BOLD fMRI)-Part A: Effects of Changes in Physiological Parameters.

To understand brain function in health and disease, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is widely used in rodent models. Because animals need to be immobilised for image acquisition, fMRI is commonly performed under anaesthesia. The choice of anaesthetic protocols and may affect fMRI readouts, either directly or via changing physiological balance, and thereby threaten the scientific validity of fMRI in rodents.

Preclinical evaluation of liposome-supported peritoneal dialysis for the treatment of hyperammonemic crises.

Liposome-supported peritoneal dialysis (LSPD) with transmembrane pH-gradient liposomes was previously shown to enhance ammonia removal in cirrhotic rats and holds promise for the treatment of hyperammonemic crises-associated disorders. The main objective of this work was to conduct the preclinical evaluation of LSPD in terms of pharmacokinetics, ammonia uptake, and toxicology to seek regulatory approval for a first-in-human study. The formulation containing citric acid-loaded liposomes was administered intraperitoneally at two different doses once daily for ten days to healthy minipigs.

OMIP-065: Dog Immunophenotyping and T-Cell Activity Evaluation with a 14-Color Panel.

Companion dogs are increasingly recognized as large-animal models of diseases such as cancer, infectious-, inflammatory-, or autoimmune diseases. At the same time, compared to human clinics, veterinarians have only a fraction of the treatment options available. To study the immunological aspects of canine diseases and ultimately develop or adapt human treatments for the dog, the methodology also needs to be in place.