Evaluation of oxygenation, ventilation, and bloating in alfaxalone anesthetized calves

Calves commonly undergo abdominal surgery for gastroin­testinal and umbilical disease and are typically positioned in dorsal recumbency for the procedure. This poses a high risk for hypoxemia, hypoventilation, bloat and regurgitation. Though these risks are understood, reference values for parameters of oxygenation, ventilation and bloating under anesthesia have not been reported. Alfaxalone is a neuroactive steroid with lim­ited cardiovascular effects that is used in companion animal practice for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Though its use in food animals is limited, alfaxalone has been used successfully in sheep and could be used safely in cattle. Demonstrating the safety and efficacy of alfaxalone in calves would promote its viability in food animal medicine. The objec­tives of this study were to demonstrate a novel anesthetic pro­tocol using a constant rate infusion (CRI) of alfaxalone and to report the cardiopulmonary and blood gas parameters of calves anesthetized in dorsal recumbency with unprotected airways.