Development of a Neurosurgical Operating Table for Adult Cattle and Changes in Intracranial Pressure and Blood Pressure in Adult Cattle undergoing Long-Time Isoflurane Anesthesia

Abstract

ABSTRACT. We developed a neurosurgical operating table for restraining adult cattle in the sternal recumbent position during long-time inhalation anesthesia, and examined intracranial pressure (ICP), blood pressure and blood gases during isoflurane anesthesia. We confirmed that the maintenance of inhalation anesthesia, the restraint of cattle in the sternal recumbent position and bringing the cattle out of anesthesia could all be carried out safely using the operating table we produced. For the purposes of the present experiment, the cattle were divided into 2 groups: the SR group, which underwent sternal recumbency for 8 hr under isoflurane anesthesia using the neurosurgical operating table, and the RR group, which underwent right lateral recumbency for 3 hr under isoflurane anesthesia on a standard operating table. The mean ICP was found to be significantly lower in the SR group than in the RR group during anesthesia, and PaO 2 was significantly higher in the SR group. In the SR group, no complications such as regurgitation or ruminal tympany occurred for 8 hr after the induction of anesthesia, and recovery from anesthesia was uneventful. In contrast, all RR cattle showed ruminal tympany and regurgitated ruminal fluid at 3 hr after the induction of anesthesia. Thus, the neurosurgical operating table developed in the present study may be useful for long-time anesthesia and neurosurgery of adult cattle. Although small domestic animals such as goats and calves have been employed in neuroscientific research [7,14,25], such research is rarely carried out in large domestic animals such as adult cattle since safe methods for doing so have not yet been established. Central nervous system (CNS) disease such as hydrocephalus, intraorbital lymphoma and intraorbital abscess is reported in cattle [23]. These CNS diseases may require neurosurgical correction for functional recovery. In order to perform neurosurgery of cattle, inhalation anesthesia must be maintained for long periods of time [4]. In adult cattle, inhalation anesthesia is generally carried out in the lateral recumbent or dorsal recumbent position. When the posture of the animal is changed from the standing position to the lateral or dorsal recumbent position, heart rate, respiratory rate and plasma cortisol levels increase, while PaO 2 decreases [9,20,21]. In addition, general anesthesia and recumbency in cattle cause complications such as regurgitation and ruminal tympany. Therefore, in adult cattle, it is difficult to maintain inhalation anesthesia for long periods of time in the lateral recumbent or dorsal recumbent position. Furthermore, it is important to monitor and control intracranial pressure (ICP) during neurosurgery, but very little research has been conducted on changes in ICP in cattle [2].The purposes of this study were to develop a neurosurgical operating table for restraining adult cattle in the sternal recumbent position during long-time inhalation anesthesia, and to examine ICP, blood pressure and blood gases in isoflurane-anesthetized adult...

Special position for the anaesthetic management of a patient with giant neck and back masses

“…During the last decade, different models of operating tables have been exhibited. [6][7][8] None of these tables nor a standard one could facilitate the proper positioning of this patient because of the huge dorsal mass. A hole was created in the upper part of the operating table to allow the patient to be placed in an optimal supine position to manage the airway as well as facilitate the successful removal of the neck mass.…”