Comparison of plasma l-lactate between jugular and cephalic veins in healthy and systemically ill horses using a point-of-care device.

The research paper investigates the differences between lactate levels taken from the jugular and cephalic veins in both healthy and sick horses. In ill horses, monitoring lactate levels is critical, but obtaining samples from the jugular vein can be difficult, suggesting the cephalic vein as an alternative.

Objective and Methodology

• The study aimed to compare plasma lactate (LAC) readings from the jugular vein (JV) and cephalic vein (CV) in both healthy and systemically ill horses.
• This was a prospective, experimental study carried out in a large animal university teaching hospital.
• The sample population consisted of 30 healthy, university-owned adult horses and 43 client-owned horses who were either undergoing elective surgical procedures or were brought in for emergency evaluation for systemic illness.
• Blood samples for the experiment were collected from the JV and CV of all horses using EDTA blood tubes prior to the administration of any medical therapy.
• A handheld lactate meter was used to obtain LAC values at the time of blood collection.

Results

• The researchers found that LAC readings were higher in CV samples than JV samples in healthy horses, but all these readings were within the normal reference range.
• For systemically ill horses too, LAC readings were higher in CV samples than JV samples, but unlike in healthy horses, the median CV values exceeded the normal reference range while the JV values remained within.

Conclusions

• The researchers concluded that the cephalic vein could serve as an alternative blood collection site when it is difficult or inappropriate to access the jugular vein, such as when it needs to be preserved for subsequent catheterization.
• However, they cautioned that in systemically ill horses, using the CV as a sample collection site could yield higher than normal LAC readings even when JV-based readings would have been within the normal range.