Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat and dogs became very sick from anesthesia machine failure
By Cantwell, S L & Modell, J H·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2001·Department of Large Animal Clinical Science College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Inadvertent severe hypercarbia associated with anesthesia machine malfunction in one cat and two dogs.
Plain-English summary
A cat and two dogs experienced severe breathing problems during surgery due to a malfunction in the anesthesia machine. Although the machine was checked before use, it failed to work properly with small breaths, causing the pets to re-breathe carbon dioxide. This led to prolonged recovery for the two animals, while the third suffered cardiac and respiratory arrest. Monitoring techniques like blood gas analysis could help detect such issues in the future. Thankfully, the animals received the necessary care to recover from the incident.
People also search for: cat breathing problems during surgery · dog anesthesia complications · how to monitor anesthesia in pets
Abstract
Severe acute hypercarbia occurred in a cat and 2 dogs as a result of anesthesia machine malfunction. In each case, the anesthesia machine had been checked by the anesthesia technician and clinician, and no problems were found. After it was noticed that the same machine had been used on each animal, further investigation revealed an expiration valve that was functional with large breaths or positive pressure ventilation but was not functional with small breaths with low peak inspiratory flow. Rebreathing of expired carbon dioxide occurred, and the patients subsequently became severely hypercarbic. Recovery from anesthesia was prolonged in 2 animals, and cardiac and respiratory arrest occurred in the third. Hypercarbia from rebreathing can be detected through the use of blood gas analysis or end-tidal carbon monoxide monitoring.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11759996/