Читать книгу Farm Animal Anesthesia - Группа авторов - Страница 15

Ruminal tympany, bloat, regurgitation, and aspiration pneumonia are common problems associated with general anesthesia in farm animal species that should be anticipated and addressed with proper precautions. Ruminal fermentation continues even in anesthetized animals. Postprandial gas production at an average of 30 l per hour has been reported in cattle [8]. Normal, awake animals are able to relieve the gas produced by fermentation through the eructation. Sedatives and anesthetics tend to inhibit GI motility and prohibit eructation, thus allowing gas to accumulate in the rumen. The rumen of an adult large ruminant has a capacity of 115–150 l [9]. An average capacity of 15–18 l has been reported in small ruminants [10]. Bloating, especially in nonfasted animals, can occur during anesthesia and compromise the cardiopulmonary systems by increasing intra‐abdominal pressure resulting in compression of the diaphragm and great vessels such as the vena cava in the abdominal cavity, thus further complicating the already compromised cardiopulmonary function resulting from abnormal positioning required by the surgery. Fasting of these animals prior to anesthesia reduces the amount of gas produced by fermentation and minimizes its detrimental effect on the cardiopulmonary systems.