An e-survey study on the practice of recruitment manoeuvres in dogs among board-certified veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia specialists

Recruitment maneuvers (RMs) are used to treat alveolar collapse and improve lung volumes and ventilatory mechanics. The primary aim of this study was to describe current practice pertaining to the use of three types of RMs - sustained inflation (SI), incremental positive end-expiratory pressure increases (Inc-PEEP) and extended sigh (ES) in dogs, among veterinary anaesthesiologists. Based on the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES), a questionnaire composed of 33 questions was developed by the authors and distributed via email to approximately 600 potential participants. Measures were applied to ensure data quality and prevent duplicate entries. Data from 92 anonymous participants were analysed with descriptive statistics and analysis of proportions. The most commonly used RMs were SI and Inc-PEEP. For SI, most participants reportedly set inspiratory time below 20 s, and factors associated with conservative ventilation parameters setting were chronic lung disease (P = 0.001), BOAS (P = 0.002), and acute lung disease (P < 0.001). For Inc-PEEP, regardless of patient factors, most participants reportedly increased PEEP values at 10-15 breaths intervals, with incremental increases in PEEP of 2-3 cmH₂O. For ES, factors associated with setting of conservative pressure values were chronic lung disease (P = 0.025) and open chest surgery (P = 0.034). This study indicates that RMs are performed by veterinary anaesthesiologists, particularly the SI and Inc-PEEP techniques, with a tendency toward more conservative settings in the presence of underlying lung disease. However, unanimous consensus on parameters setting is lacking at date.