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Comparison of lithium dilution and thermodilution cardiac output measurements in anaesthetised neonatal foals
Author(s) -
CORLEY K. T. T.,
DONALDSON L. L.,
FURR M. O.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
equine veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 2042-3306
pISSN - 0425-1644
DOI - 10.2746/042516402776180287
Subject(s) - foal , cardiac output , medicine , anesthesia , isoflurane , lithium (medication) , critically ill , dilution , intensive care medicine , hemodynamics , biology , genetics , physics , thermodynamics
Summary Knowledge of cardiac output is expected to help guide the treatment of hypotension associated with critical illness and/or anaesthesia in neonatal foals. However, a practical and safe method of measuring cardiac output has not been described for the foal. Lithum dilution, a new method of cardiac output determination not requiring cardiac catheterisation, has recently been reported in mature horses. We compared this method to thermodilution in isoflurane‐anaesthetised foals age 30–42 h and found good agreement between the 2 methods in a range of cardiac outputs 5.4–20.41/min. The lithium dilution technique is a practical and reliable method of measuring cardiac output in anaesthetised neonatal foals, and warrants investigation in critically ill conscious foals.