Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pulmonary oedema associated with anaesthesia for colic surgery in a horse.
- Journal:
- Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia
- Year:
- 2005
- Authors:
- Borer, Kate E
- Affiliation:
- Royal Veterinary College · United Kingdom
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 506 kg Warmblood horse was given anesthesia for surgery to treat colic, but during the procedure, it had low oxygen levels in its blood that continued throughout the surgery. After the horse woke up, it likely experienced some airway blockage, which led to signs of fluid buildup in the lungs, known as pulmonary edema. The veterinarian treated the horse with a diuretic called furosemide and provided oxygen to help. Although the horse was able to stand after about 45 minutes and did not show low oxygen levels when it was put under anesthesia again three days later, it was ultimately euthanized. A post-mortem exam showed that the fluid in the lungs was likely caused by several factors.
Abstract
A 506 kg Warmblood horse with colic was anaesthetized for exploratory celiotomy. Anaesthesia was complicated by arterial hypoxaemia which persisted throughout surgery from the induction of anaesthesia. After endotracheal extubation in the recovery box, a degree of airway obstruction probably occurred during a brief delay in naso-tracheal intubation. Signs of pulmonary oedema were seen shortly afterwards. Furosemide and oxygen were given. Arterial hypoxaemia was present [PaO2: 6.5 kPa (49 mmHg)] when FIO2 was an estimated 0.3. The horse recovered and stood after 45 minutes. It was re-anaesthetized 3 days later when arterial blood gas analysis did not reveal hypoxaemia. The horse was killed on this occasion; post-mortem examination revealed the presence of pulmonary oedema, which probably resulted from multiple causes.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16008720/