Use of wound soaker catheters for the administration of local anesthetic for post-operative analgesia: 56 cases.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the administration of local anesthetic through wound soaker catheters for post-operative veterinary patients and to characterize complications.


METHODS
Retrospective study of hospital records.


METHODS
Records of patients in which a wound soaker catheter was placed post-operatively between November 1, 2004 and July 1, 2006 at a veterinary teaching hospital. Records in which a limb amputation was performed between January 1, 2002 and August 1, 2007 and in which a wound soaker catheter was not placed were reviewed for historic control.


RESULTS
A total of 56 cases were identified in which a wound soaker catheter was placed post-operatively including 52 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 goats. Twenty canine cases were identified in which limb amputation was performed and no wound soaker catheter was placed. The majority of surgical procedures for which a wound soaker catheter was placed included thoracic limb amputation (46.4%) and pelvic limb amputation (35.7%). Wound soaker catheters remained in place for an average of 1.6 +/- 0.5 days. Feline and caprine patients received intermittent bupivacaine boluses every 6 hours. Canine patients received continuous lidocaine infusions. Complications included disconnection of the catheter from the infusion (7.7%), one seroma, and one suspected lidocaine neurotoxicity. Incisional infections were noted in 3/56 (5.3%) limb amputations with wound soaker catheters placed which was not higher than the incisional infection rate found in the historic control cases 3/20 (15%).


CONCLUSIONS
Use of the wound soaker catheter was a viable means of providing local analgesia in post-operative veterinary patients. Studies are needed to evaluate efficacy of pain management, and to further investigate techniques for catheter placement and maintenance which may help to optimize the analgesia achieved using this technique.
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
Amanda L
AL
Abelson
Emily C
EC
McCobb
Scott
S
Shaw
Elizabeth
E
Armitage-Chan
Lois A
LA
Wetmore
Alicia Z
AZ
Karas
Cheryl
C
Blaze
D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000662:veterinary; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000662:veterinary; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006041:Goats; D008297:Male; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000779:Anesthetics, Local