Europe. Its distinctive black-yellow skin produces toxic alkaloids in the dorsal and parotoid skin glands. These alkaloids can cause clinical signs of intoxication and may lead to death of an animal after mucosal contact or ingestion of the fire salamander. Although there are many anecdotal reports on dog intoxication with the salamander, there are no published data available for that kind of intoxication. We assume that this is due to the fact that most dogs die after intoxication with toxic alkaloids of the fire salamander. This paper describes the clinical case of a dog which survived the intoxication after the contact with a fire salamander. Publication of this case report has a certain value to those people who deal with dogs because contacts of dogs with salamanders are not rare, but so far there is no publication in the literature on survival of a dog after biting a fire salamander.

Background: An injectable liposomal bupivacaine suspension (EXPAREL™) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for analgesia by tissue infiltration and interscalene brachial plexus, but not for use in the neuraxial space. This pilot study describes neurological and histological outcomes of escalating doses of this extended-release formulation of bupivacaine after subarachnoid administration. Methods: Twenty-five pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) weighing 36.2 (4.4) kg were randomly assigned to one of five groups to receive a subarachnoid injection of sodium chloride 0.9%, 3 ml (negative control), preservative-free bupivacaine hydrochloride 0.5%, 3 ml (positive control), or one of three doses of liposomal bupivacaine suspension 1.33%: 1.5, 3, or 5 ml. After recovering from general anaesthesia, neurological outcomes were assessed by blinded observers. Three weeks later, the animals were sacrificed for histological evaluations of neurotoxicity. Results: Animals that received sodium chloride 0.9%, bupivacaine hydrochloride, or liposomal bupivacaine 1.5 ml recovered within 2, 5, or 4 h, respectively. Animals that received liposomal bupivacaine 3 or 5 ml exhibited signs of neuraxial block (decreased nociception and proprioception) up to 32 h after injection. No histological evidence of neurotoxicity was found in any of the groups. Conclusions: Subarachnoid administration of liposomal bupivacaine in pigs exhibited a dose-response effect, and resulted in longer duration of neuraxial block than bupivacaine hydrochloride without histological evidence of neurotoxicity. Our study contributes preliminary data to inform further toxicological assessments and regulatory approval before subarachnoid administration in humans.

In the obese, the evidence for the choice of the optimal emergency front-of-neck access technique is very limited and conflicting. We compared cannula and scalpel-bougie emergency front-of-neck access techniques in an anaesthetised porcine model with thick pretracheal tissue. Cannula and scalpel-bougie cricothyroidotomy techniques were performed in 11 and 12 anaesthetised pigs, respectively. Following successful tracheal access, oxygenation was commenced and continued for 5 min using Rapid-O2 device for cannula and circle breathing system for scalpel-bougie study groups. The primary outcome was a successful rescue oxygenation determined by maintenance of arterial oxygen saturation >90% 5 min after the beginning of oxygenation. Secondary outcomes included success rate of airway device placement, time to successful airway device placement, and trauma to the neck and airway. The success rate of rescue oxygenation was 18% after cannula, and 83% after scalpel-bougie technique (P = 0.003). The success rate of airway device placement was 73% with cannula and 92% with scalpel-bougie technique (P = 0.317). Median (inter-quartilerange) times to successful airway device placement were 108 (30-256) and 90 (63-188) seconds (P = 0.762) for cannula and scalpel-bougie emergency front-of-neck access, respectively. Proportion of animals with iatrogenic trauma additional to the procedure itself was 27% for cannula and 75% for scalpel-bougie technique (P = 0.039). Thus, in the porcine model of obesity, the scalpel-bougie technique was more successful in establishing and maintaining rescue oxygenation than cannula-based technique; however, it was associated with a higher risk of severe trauma.

BackgroundMeasurement of arterial blood pressure is recommended in anaesthetized animals to guide perioperative treatment. Invasive blood pressure measurement is considered the gold standard, however it is also technically challenging, requires specialised equipment and carries certain risks. For these reasons, non-invasive blood pressure measurement devices are commonly used and are expected to provide accurate and reliable results. This requirement is particularly true for rabbits, in whom peri-anaesthetic hypotension is commonly observed and in whom perioperative mortality remains disproportionally high. Several authors have compared different non-invasive devices with invasive measurements in rabbits and have reported contrasting results. However, to date no comparison between invasive measurements and the PetMAP™ device, that has been designed specifically for veterinary medicine, has been reported.Aim and hypothesisThe aim of the study was the comparison of invasive blood pressure measurement with PetMAP™ in rabbits. We hypothesised that PetMAP™ would show acceptable agreement with the invasive measurements according to the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine guidelines.Materials and methodsSixteen client-owned rabbits presenting for various surgical interventions were included in the study. Invasive measurements were performed by cannulation of an auricular artery. The PetMAP™ cuff was applied distal to the elbow according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. For each measurement with PetMAP™, three invasive blood pressure values were recorded. The mean of the three invasive values was compared with one value measured with PetMAP™.ResultsData collected from 16 rabbits were used for statistical analysis. In the clinical setting, the PetMAP™ device showed significant overestimation of systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure, which were measured in the auricular artery. In addition, the bias was not constant, implying that the device poorly predicted changes in blood pressure.ConclusionThe PetMAP™ device did not meet any of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine recommendations.

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