Objective: To determine whether admission venous plasma lactate concentration, calculated lactate variables, or shock index (SI) could discriminate hospital survivors from nonsurvivors in dogs admitted with shock.
Design: Prospective investigation performed over a 19-month period.
Setting: Large urban private teaching hospital.
Animals: Twenty-three dogs consecutively admitted to the ICU from January 2008 to July 2009 with initial peripheral venous plasma lactate concentration >2 mmol/L (18.0 mg/dL) and clinical and hemodynamic parameters consistent with shock.
Interventions: None.
Measurements and main results: Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and venous plasma lactate concentrations were serially recorded at predefined time points and used to calculate SI (SI = heart rate/systolic blood pressure) and lactate variables, including lactime (time lactate > 2.0 mmol/L), lactate clearance ([lactateinitial - lactatedelayed ]/lactateinitial × 100), and LACAREA (area under the lactate concentration versus time curve). Primary outcome was survival to discharge. Overall survival rate was 61%. Admission venous plasma lactate concentration did not differ between groups (P = 0.2). Lactime was shorter in survivors versus nonsurvivors (P = 0.02). Lactate clearance at 1, 10, 16, 24, and 36 hours, and final lactate clearance were greater in survivors versus nonsurvivors (P < 0.05). LACAREA at time intervals 0-1, 1-4, 4-10, 10-16, 16-24, 24-30, and 30-36 hours was larger in nonsurvivors versus survivors (P < 0.05). Total LACAREA did not differ between groups (P = 0.09). Admission SI and time to normalize SI (SI < 0.9) were not different between survivors and nonsurvivors (P > 0.05).
Conclusions: While admission venous plasma lactate concentration could not discriminate between hospital survivors and nonsurvivors, lactate variables showed clinical utility to predict outcome in dogs with shock. Further studies are needed to determine SI reference ranges and optimal SI cut-off values to improve its prognostic ability in sick dogs.
Objective: To determine the incidence of bacteriuria at the time of presentation and as a result of indwelling urethral catheterization in naturally occurring feline urethral obstruction (UO).
Design: Prospective observational study.
Setting: University teaching hospital.
Animals: A population of 34 male cats with UO admitted for standard medical care.
Interventions: A presenting urine sample was obtained by cystocentesis (precatheterization). After catheterization (performed under strict aseptic technique), a urine sample was obtained through the urinary catheter every 24 hours, as well as just prior to catheter removal. Urine was applied to culture media within 30 minutes of collection or refrigerated immediately at 4°C for subsequent culture the following morning. Samples positive for growth (defined as > 104 colony forming units/mL) had bacterial identification and susceptibility testing performed.
Measurements and main results: All 34 cats enrolled had initial culture performed. Of these, 1 patient died and 2 were euthanized within 24 hours and therefore subsequent cultures were obtained. The remaining 31 cats had median catheterization time of 42 hours (range 20-110 hours). No urine cultures yielded growth at presentation (0/34). A total of 4 of 31 patients (13%) subsequently had bacterial cultures that yielded growth. In these cases, all yielded growth by the 24-hour time point, and all had the same organism identified on subsequent cultures. Identified bacteria included Streptococcus spp. (3) and Pasteurella spp. (1).
Conclusions: The male cats with UO in this study did not have bacteriuria at the time of presentation. The overall incidence of acquired bacteriuria was found to be 13% and could represent a transient bacterial population or true bacterial urinary tract infection. Based on these findings, empirical administration of antibiotics is not warranted in male cats with UO.
Objective: To evaluate procedure time, ease of placement, and complication rates of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) compared to surgical tracheostomy (ST) in canine cadavers.
Design: Randomized crossover experimental manikin and cadaver study involving 6 novice veterinary students.
Setting: University teaching hospital.
Animals: Canine tracheostomy training manikin, 24 canine cadavers.
Interventions: None.
Measurements and main results: For training, each student performed 10 PDT and 10 ST procedures on a training manikin, followed by 2 PDT and 2 ST procedures on a canine cadaver. After each training procedure, feedback from bronchoscopy and observers was provided. Final PDT and ST tube placements using new equipment were performed in unused cadavers. Placements were timed, ease of placement was scored using visual analog scales (VAS, 0-10 cm), and complications were assessed by two independent observers using ordinal scales (0-3). Cadaver tracheas were explanted postprocedure to evaluate anatomical damage scores (0-3). Procedure time and VAS scores for PDT and ST procedures were analyzed using mixed-effects linear models, accounting for student, technique, and procedure number with post hoc pairwise comparisons. Data are presented as median (range). For the final cadaver placement, there were no significant differences in placement time (300 seconds [230-1020] vs 188 seconds [116-414], P = 0.210), ease of placement (3.8 cm [2.1-5.7] vs 1.9 cm [0-4.7], P = 0.132), anatomical damage score (1 [0-2] vs 0 [0-1], P = 0.063), or equipment complications score (0 [0-1] vs 0 [0-0], P = 1.000) between PDT and ST, respectively.
Conclusions: These data suggest that PDT can be performed as quickly, as easily, and as safely as ST in a canine cadaver by novice veterinary students following manikin training. Additional studies will be required to determine if these findings can be translated into veterinary clinical practice.