Veterinary Record最新文献

With AI technology here to stay, Paul Horwood discusses the valuable role farm animal vets play in the development of technology, and how British agriculture can continue to be a global leader.

Background: This retrospective study compared intraoperative analgesic requirements in dogs undergoing thoracolumbar hemilaminectomy receiving no local anaesthesia (NB), peri-incisional epaxial muscle infiltration (EB) or ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) with bupivacaine.

Methods: Medical records were reviewed, and cases were grouped into NB, EB and ultrasound-guided ESPB. Intraoperative analgesia interventions were recorded and analysed.

Results: A total of 377 cases were included. Additional analgesia was required in 63.2% of the NB group, 42.5% in the EB group and 23.4% in the ESPB group at the first incision. Significant differences were found between NB and EB (p < 0.005), between NB and ESPB (p < 0.001), and between EB and ESPB (p = 0.012). The median number of interventions was 2 (range 0‒8) in NB, 1 (range 0‒8) in EB and 1 (range 0‒5) in ESPB. ESPB required significantly fewer interventions than NB and EB (p < 0.001).

Limitations: Due to the retrospective nature of the study, pain scores in recovery were not consistently available.

Conclusions: Bupivacaine ESPB significantly reduced the use of intraoperative analgesics compared to EB and no local block. Compared with no block, EB reduced analgesic requirements, although not significantly.

Background: Determining serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations is critical for the assessment of passive immune status in lambs. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of the Brix refractometer for the determination of passive immune status in lambs.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 417 randomly selected healthy 1‒7-day-old lambs from nine farms in western Türkiye. Digital Brix refractometry was used as the index test to determine the lambs' serum IgG concentrations, and the radial immunodiffusion (RID) technique was used as the reference test.

Results: A strong correlation was detected between the serum RID‒IgG and Brix percentages (r = 0.86). The prevalence of lambs with serum IgG concentrations less than 6 g/L, 6 to less than 10 g/L, 10 to less than 15 g/L, 15 to less than 20 g/L, 20 to less than 25 g/L, 25 to less than 30 g/L, 30 to less than 35 g/L, 35 to less than 40 g/L and 40 g/L or more were 13.4%, 10.3%, 8.6%, 16.8%, 15.1%, 14.2%, 8.4%, 4.1% and 9.1%, respectively. The optimum thresholds determined for the digital Brix refractometer to detect lambs with serum IgG concentrations less than 6, less than 10, less than 15, less than 20, less than 25, less than 30, less than 35 and less than 40 g/L were 8.2 or less, 8.4 or less, 8.4 or less, 8.8 or less, 9.1 or less, 9.3 or less, 9.7 or less and 9.9 or less, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity at each IgG threshold were 80% or above.

Limitations: Production type was not taken into consideration, which may influence serum Brix thresholds to determine passive immunity. Data are clustered by farm and analysis has not taken this into account; thus, prevalence estimates may not be reliable with regards to the true prevalence of inadequate transfer of passive immunity.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the digital Brix refractometer could be used as an accurate tool for the determination of passive immune status in lambs.