Musk Gabrielle C, Kershaw Helen, Kemp Matthew W
Animal Care Services, University of Western Australia, Australia.
Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Western Australia, Australia.
Vet Anim Sci. 2021 Apr 18;12:100177. doi: 10.1016/j.vas.2021.100177. eCollection 2021 Jun.
The aim of this study was to determine if oxygen supplementation improved the PaO of pregnant ewes during short anaesthesia, when compared to a previous study where oxygen was not provided (Musk and Kemp, 2018). Twenty-six pregnant Merino cross ewes at 121-123 days of gestation were anaesthetised with intravenous midazolam and ketamine for subarachnoid administration of 60 mg of lignocaine and caesarean delivery of the preterm lamb. 100% oxygen was administered to the ewe by a face mask. Arterial blood samples were collected from the ewe immediately after delivery of the foetus. The ewes weighed 60.7 ± 5.5 kg and received 0.51 (0.47-0.58) mg/kg of midazolam and 10.3 (9.4-11.6) mg/kg of ketamine intravenously. The PaO of ewes receiving oxygen by face mask was higher than previously reported [92.6 ± 44.0 mmHg compared to 45.2 ± 11.8 mmHg (Musk and Kemp, 2018) ( = 0.0007)]. Oxygen delivery by mask improved the PaO of pregnant ewes during short term anaesthesia.