Clinical study of respiratory mechanic in horses undergoing volume controlled ventilation during arthroscopic surgery

It is known that general anaesthesia by it’s self is capable of causing substantial cardiovascular and respiratory depression in horses and this characteristic can be enhanced even more by patient positioned in dorsal recumbence and the administration of high intrathoracic pressures during recruitment manoeuvres used to reverse hypoxemia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the respiratory mechanics and arterial blood gas analysis after recruitment manoeuvre and PEEP for maintenance, in horses ASA I and II undergoing general isoflurane-anaesthesia for arthroscopic surgery and what is the best value PEEP to maintain alveolar recruitment. Therefore, we used 30 horses, weighing on average 454 kg, which underwent arthroscopic surgery in the dorsal recumbence, randomly allocated into one of the 4 groups, as follows: Control; PEEP 7; PEEP 12; and PEEP 17. Animals received xylazine (0,6 mg/kg) as pre anaesthetic medication followed by anaesthesia induction (ketamine 2,2 mg/kg associated to diazepam 0,05 mg/kg and EGG 10% 50 mg/kg) and maintenance with isoflurane-anaesthesia. The animals were positioned in dorsal recumbence and submitted the volume-controlled ventilation (14ml/kg), RR: 7 mpm, I:E ratio 1:3, 7 cmH2O of PEEP and FiO2 0,7. After instrumentation period was performed RM by PEEP titration every 5 minutes until reach 22 cmH2O of PEEP, and the animals of control group did not receive RM, only maintenance with PEEP 7 cmH2O. The animals of other groups went through the RM followed by maintenance with their treatment PEEP (7, 12 or 17 cmH2O). The respiratory parameters and blood gas samples were assessed immediately before the RM; and 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, 60 and 80 minutes after the manoeuvre. We also assessed the HR, SAP, MAP and DAP, percentage of inhaled anaesthetic: inhaled and exhaled, ETCO2 and vasoactive drug consumption. Animals receiving RM showed an increase in static compliance and oxygenation parameters after the manoeuvre, maintenance of the increase coming from the RM were observed in animals from PEEP 12 and 17 group, for at least 80 minutes. The animals in PEEP 7 group decreased the increase after 20 minutes of manoeuvre and the control group decreased the parameters of oxygenation and ventilation over time, both indicating a probable pulmonary closure due to insufficient PEEP to maintain the alveoli opened. Cardiovascular changes were observed in the study animals, only mild transient tachycardia in PEEP 17group soon after RM. Therefore, the PEEP 12 and 17 cmH2O used after RM were able to keep the lung opened, thereby performing better gas exchange and the increase in the oxygenation and ventilation of patients. The animals receiving RM and maintenance PEEP 7 cmH2O were able to maintain the alveoli open for only 20 minutes (AU)