Sepsis-Constant rate antibiotic infusions ?

Volume1 Issue 2

Author

Tim John, DVM
March 14, 2023

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback on our first issue!

VetSummary wants to help simplify your life.

Here’s how I would suggest using it. If you find any of the studies even remotely useful throw them into your archive folder. If not, hit delete.

Please give us feedback on ways we can make it more useful to you.

If you enjoyed this issue please consider sending it on to a friend 😄 

High-flow Nasal Cannula in Dogs

This study evaluated the use of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) as a non-invasive method of oxygen delivery for dogs with hypoxemia failing conventional oxygen therapies (COTs). The study showed that HFNC improved oxygenation parameters compared to COTs and was well-tolerated by the dogs, with 90% of owners agreeing to an escalation of oxygen therapy when HFNC was recommended. The study had a small sample size and no control group, and some limitations such as the absence of arterial blood gas analysis in all patients and the presence of different disease processes. Overall, the study concluded that HFNC may be considered as an option for dogs failing COT, avoiding intubation in some patient groups.  

Frischer, R., Daly, J., Haggerty, J., & Guenther, C. (2023). High-flow nasal cannula improves hypoxemia in dogs failing conventional oxygen therapy, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 261(2), 210-216. Retrieved Feb 7, 2023, from https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/2/javma.22.09.0400.xml 

Bottom line — May be useful if conventional therapy fails

Constant rate antibiotic infusions for sepsis

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of continuous infusion (CI) and intermittent infusion (II) of ampicillin-sulbactam in dogs with septic peritonitis. The results showed that CI achieved a slightly greater T% (the percentage of time that the concentration of the antimicrobial is greater than the minimum inhibitory concentration of the infecting pathogen) than II, but the differences were not statistically significant. The study also noted that the T% > MIC was marginally greater for MIC 8 µg/mL and MIC 16 µg/mL, suggesting that there could be a significant difference in T% > MIC at these MICs if investigated in a larger cohort of dogs. The study concluded that while these results support the use of antimicrobial CI in septic and critically ill patients, additional prospective trials with larger sample sizes and the utilization of illness severity scoring are still needed to determine the optimal antimicrobial strategy. 

Stewart, S. D., Allen, S., Eisenberg, B., Sakakeeny, K., Hammond, T. N., Schneider, B., Mochel, J., & Zhou, T. (2023). Comparison of the pharmacokinetics of continuous and intermittent infusions of ampicillin-sulbactam in dogs with septic peritonitis, American Journal of Veterinary Research, 84(2), ajvr.22.08.0139. Retrieved Feb 7, 2023, from https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/ajvr/84/2/ajvr.22.08.0139.xml 

Bottom line — Early results support this as a beneficial protocol

Genetic screening for canine olfactory ability

Dogs have been used for various purposes due to their exceptional olfactory abilities, which is related to the number of olfactory receptor (cOR) genes they have in their genome. The German Shepherd dog (GSD) is known for its versatility and has a wider olfactory epithelium and olfactory sensory neurons than other mammals, including humans. Two SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) alleles in the OR52N9 and OR9S25 genes have been found to have a significant influence on the sniffing performance of dogs and can be used as markers for olfactory ability in sniffer dog breeding. A study was conducted to assess the linkage between olfactory ability and the two polymorphisms in a cohort of 29 certified GSDs and a cohort of 42 outbred descendants of GSDs and Asian Shepherd dogs. The results showed that individuals with GG genotype at 176 of OR52N9 and AA genotype at 592 of OR9S25 had a low olfactory performance compared to other genotypes.  

Bottom line — Potentially useful for screening working dogs.

Just putting things in perspective …

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