Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LIX (1)
Written by Constantin BORS, Nicolae CORNILA, Andrei TANASE
This paper is based on the clinical experience in emergency surgery in pets, consisting of foreign bodies that remain stranded in certain parts of the digestive tract. We present the clinical case of a cat, 8 years old, European breed, that was brought by its owners at a veterinary hospital with the following symptoms: dyspnea, polypnea, dysphagia, apathy, sialorrhea, a normal vesicular murmur, normothermia. We made an abdominal ultrasound, took blood for analysis and afterwards, a radiographic exam, a lateral-cervico-thoracic and a ventro-dorsal radiography of the same region. From the data obtained from the owners, the animal never swallowed anything in the past. Until the examination day, there were no signs of illness or another pathology. The biochemical exams showed no alteration of the main organs (the pancreatic, liver, and renal function) and the hematologic parameters were also normal. After the radiographic examination of the cervical region, a foreign body was discovered. It had almost 6 centimeters, was stuck in the anterior third of the esophagus, had a needle-like shape, with one sharp end ventrally oriented, and the other blunt one, dorsally positioned. An emergency surgery was made, with endotracheal intubation and the removal of the foreign body, which was represented by a sewing needle, which had perforated the esophagus, positioning itself transversally through the latero-cervical muscles, and having a ventrally end positioned into the esophagus and the other end, subcutaneous in the dorsal cervical area. Among the emergency surgeries in pets, foreign body pathology has an important role, because of the need to establish a quick diagnose and to treat the animal as fast as possible. The clinical and radiological exam has tracked down a foreign body in the esophagus. We used endotracheal intubation for the anesthesia. Through specific and adequate surgical maneuvers, we managed to extract the foreign body. Knowing the animal’s habits has an important role, thus making the diagnose and treatment more accurate and not to threaten the animal’s life.
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anesthesia
