Hermes R, Saragusty J, Schaftenaar W, Göritz F, Schmitt D L, Hildebrandt T B
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
Theriogenology. 2008 Jul 15;70(2):131-44. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.04.003. Epub 2008 May 21.
Obstetrics, one of the oldest fields in veterinary medicine, is well described and practiced in domestic and exotic animals. However, when providing care during elephant birth or dystocia, veterinary intervention options differ greatly from any domestic species, and are far more limited due to the dimensions and specific anatomy of the elephant reproductive tract. In addition, aging of captive elephant populations and advanced age of primiparous females make active birth management increasingly important. Intrauterine infection, uterine inertia and urogenital tract pathologies are emerging as major causes for dystocia, often leading to foetal and dam death. This paper reviews the current knowledge on elephant birth and the factors associated with dystocia. It then summarises recommendations for birth and dystocia management. As Caesarean section, the most common ultima ratio in domestic animal obstetrics, is lethal and therefore not an option in the elephant, non-invasive medical treatment, induction of the Fergusson reflex or the conscious decision to leave a retained foetus until it is expelled voluntarily, are key elements in elephant obstetrics. Surgical strategies such as episiotomy and foetotomy are sometimes inevitable in order to try to save the life of the dam, however, these interventions result in chronic post-surgical complications or even fatal outcome. Limited reliable data on serum calcium concentrations, and pharmacokinetics and effect of exogenous oestrogen, oxytocin, and prostaglandins during birth provide the scope of future research, necessary to advance scientific knowledge on obstetrics in elephants.
产科是兽医学中最古老的领域之一，在 domestic 和 exotic 动物中都有详尽的描述和实践。然而，在大象分娩或难产期间提供护理时，兽医的干预选择与任何 domestic 物种都有很大不同，并且由于大象生殖道的尺寸和特定解剖结构，选择更为有限。此外，圈养大象种群的老龄化和初产雌性的高龄使得积极的分娩管理变得越来越重要。宫内感染、子宫收缩乏力和泌尿生殖道病理状况正成为难产的主要原因，常常导致胎儿和母体死亡。本文回顾了关于大象分娩以及与难产相关因素的现有知识。然后总结了分娩和难产管理的建议。由于剖腹产是家畜产科最常见的最终手段，但对大象来说是致命的，因此不是一种选择，非侵入性医学治疗、诱导弗格森反射或有意识地决定让滞留胎儿自然排出，是大象产科的关键要素。为了挽救母体生命，有时不可避免地需要采取诸如会阴切开术和截胎术等手术策略，然而，这些干预会导致慢性术后并发症甚至致命后果。关于血清钙浓度以及分娩期间外源性雌激素、催产素和前列腺素的药代动力学和作用的可靠数据有限，这为未来的研究提供了方向，而这些研究对于推进大象产科的科学知识是必要的。
