Plasmapheresis for Comprehensive Treatment of Surgical Sepsis in Dogs

Abstract

The paper dwells upon treatment of surgical sepsis in dogs by extracorporeal detoxification. Data were sampled from 32 dogs of various breeds, aged 4 to 12, weighing 20 to 68 kilogram, treated against surgical sepsis at the Panacea Veterinary Hospital, Chelyabinsk; the dogs were divided into the experimental group (17 dogs) and control group (15 dogs). In control dogs, the infection site was treated surgically by abdominal drainage in peritonitis, ovariohysterectomy in pyometra, etc., supported by infusion antibiotic therapy, vasopressor support, and treatment of comorbidities. Comprehensive treatment of the experimental group included 2 to 4 sessions of plasmapheresis with exfusion of 20% of the circulating plasma volume (CPV) and its replacement with Ringer and Refortan 6% solutions, 2 to 1, using Rosa-type plasma filters and a KMBP-01 machineless plasmapheresis complex. To that end, the experimenters studied such clinical readings as appetite, body temperature, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), capillary refill time (CRT), and skin turgor, as well as blood morphology and biochemistry. Plasmapheresis did not use perfusion pumps to minimize its effects on total hemodynamics. The study identified that combining a commonly accepted sepsis treatment method with 2 to 4 plasmapheresis sessions did reduce the mortality rates in the experimental group and boosted the animals’ recovery while also rapidly restoring the normal morphology and biochemistry of their blood. The team noted a significant increase in the total protein content, lower bilirubin, creatinine, and urea in the serum, which indicated recovered hepatic and renal functionality as a result of the comprehensive membrane plasmapheresis-enabled treatment of surgical sepsis in dogs. Keywords—dogs, sepsis, peritonitis, membrane plasmapheresis, total protein, bilirubin, creatinine