Background: Hypotension is common in anaesthetised children, and its impact on cerebral oxygenation is unknown. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of moderate systemic arterial hypotension (mHT) and severe hypotension (sHT) on cerebral perfusion and brain tissue oxygenation in piglets. Methods: Twenty-seven anaesthetised piglets were randomly allocated to a control group, mHT group, or sHT group. Cerebral monitoring comprised a tissue oxygen partial pressure (Pt O2 ) and laser Doppler (LD) perfusion probe advanced into the brain tissue, and a near-infrared spectroscopy sensor placed over the skin measuring regional oxygen saturation (rSO 2 ). Arterial hypotension was induced by blood withdrawal and i.v. nitroprusside infusion [target MAP: 35e38 (mHT) and 27e30 (sHT) mm Hg]. Data were analysed at baseline, and every 20 min during and after treatment. Results: Compared with control, Pt O2 decreased equally with mHT and sHT [mean (SD) after 60 min: control: 17.1 (6.4); mHT: 6.4 (3.6); sHT: 7.2 (4.3) mm Hg]. No differences between groups were detected for rSO 2 and LD during treatment. However, in the sHT group, rSO 2 increased after restoring normotension [from 49.3 (9.5) to 58.9 (8.9)% Post60]. sHT was associated with an increase in blood lactate [from 1.5 (0.4) to 2.4 (0.9) mmol L À1 ], and a decrease in bicarbonate [28 (2.4) to 25.8 (2.6) mmol L À1 ] and base excess [4.7 (1.9) to 2.0 (2.7) mmol L À1 ] between baseline and 60 min after the start of the experiment. Conclusions: Induction of mHT and sHT by hypovolaemia and nitroprusside infusion caused alterations in brain tissue oxygenation in a piglet model, but without detectable changes in brain tissue perfusion and regional oxygen saturation.

A 4-year old male Australian Cattle Dog involved in a road traffic accident was presented with severe polytrauma to the Small Animal Clinic, University of Zurich. He was presented in hemorrhagic shock, with an initial lactate of 10.3mmol/l and ongoing bleeding from multiple injury sites. Acute traumatic coagulopathy diagnosed with ROTEM within one hour after accident showed marked hypocoagulation and hyperfibrinolysis. Treatment with a total dose of 40mg/kg of tranexamic acid intravenously resulted in successful elimination of hyperfibrinolysis in the following, serially measured ROTEM tracings.

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BackgroundRabbits are widely accepted as an animal model in neuroscience research. They also represent very popular pet animals, and, in selected clinical cases with neurological signs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be indicated for imaging the rabbit brain. Literature on the normal MRI anatomy of the rabbit brain and associated structures as well as related reference values is sparse. Therefore, it was the purpose of this study to generate an MRI atlas of the normal rabbit brain including the pituitary gland, the cranial nerves and major vessels by the use of a 3 T magnet.ResultsBased on transverse, dorsal and sagittal T2-weighted (T2w) and pre- and post-contrast 3D T1-weighted (T1w) sequences, 60 intracranial structures were identified and labeled. Typical features of a lissencephalic brain type were described. In the 5 investigated rabbits, on T1w images a crescent-shaped hyperintense area caudodorsally in the pituitary gland most likely corresponded to a part of the neurohypophysis. The optic, trigeminal, and in part, the facial, vestibulocochlear and trochlear nerves were identified. Mild contrast enhancement of the trigeminal nerve was present in all rabbits. Absolute and relative size of the pituitary gland, midline area of the cranial and caudal cranial fossa and height of the tel- and diencephalon, 3rd and 4th ventricles were also determined.ConclusionsThese data established normal MRI appearance and measurements of the rabbit brain. Results provide reference for research studies in rabbits and, in rare instances, clinical cases in veterinary medicine.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13028-015-0139-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Alfaxalone had less adverse influence on respiration than propofol in cats premedicated with medetomidine. Alfaxalone might be better than propofol for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia when artificial ventilation cannot be provided.