Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inadvertent severe hypercarbia associated with anesthesia machine malfunction in one cat and two dogs.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2001
- Authors:
- Cantwell, S L & Modell, J H
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Science College of Veterinary Medicine · United States
Plain-English summary
In a troubling case, a cat and two dogs experienced severe high carbon dioxide levels due to a problem with the anesthesia machine they all used. Although the machine was checked beforehand and seemed fine, it turned out that a valve was not working properly with small breaths, causing the animals to breathe in their own carbon dioxide. As a result, two of the pets took longer to recover from anesthesia, while the third sadly suffered a cardiac and respiratory arrest. This situation highlights the importance of monitoring for high carbon dioxide levels during anesthesia. Overall, the outcome was serious, with one animal not surviving.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11759996/