Effects of small- and large-volume resuscitation on coagulation and electrolytes during experimental endotoxemia in anesthetized horses.

The research article explores the effects of using small-volume resuscitation (SVR) as compared to large-volume resuscitation in the treatment of endotoxemia in horses. Results indicated that SVR does not impact coagulation parameters or serum electrolyte concentrations. Furthermore, SVR was found to potentially protect against ionized hypocalcemia induced by endotoxemia.

Research Objective

• The study aimed to examine the impacts of small-volume resuscitation (SVR) on coagulation and serum electrolytes concentration during experimental endotoxemia in anesthetized horses. SVR in this study utilized hypertonic saline solution (HSS) and hetastarch (HES).
• The goal was to compare the effects of SVR with both small- and large-volume isotonic resuscitation.

Research Methods

• Horses were randomized into one of three groups for the experiment, and endotoxemia was induced under halothane anesthesia by administering Escherichia coli endotoxin.
• The control group received 15 mL/kg of balanced polyionic crystalloid solution, a second group received 60 mL/kg of the same solution (representing isotonic resuscitation, or ISO), and a third group received 5 mL/kg of HSS followed by 10 mL/kg HES (representing the SVR).

Research Findings

• Throughout the three groups, no significant differences in coagulation parameters were identified. Severe thrombocytopenia was present in all groups.
• The control and ISO groups witnessed a significant decrease from the baseline in the serum ionized calcium concentration. This was not the case in the HSS-HES group.

Conclusions

• The research postulates that SVR using a combination of HSS-HES, at the dosage used in the study, does not cause adverse effects on coagulation beyond those produced by endotoxemia itself.
• Furthermore, the HSS-HES combination may protect against the development of ionized hypocalcemia induced by endotoxemia.