Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Severe auricular skin necrosis as potential postanaesthetic complication in a horse undergoing general anaesthesia for orthopaedic surgeries.
- Journal:
- Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia
- Year:
- 2025
- Authors:
- Schiele, Anika R et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 5-year and 8-month-old Trotter mare had been experiencing severe lameness in her front leg for two years after having surgery to fix a broken bone in her leg. She needed three rounds of anesthesia for treatments related to an infection in her wrist joint. Twelve days after her last surgery, she developed severe skin damage on her right ear, which took six weeks to heal completely. The skin damage was likely caused by her head being positioned incorrectly during anesthesia, which may have restricted blood flow to that area. This case highlights a possible complication that can occur after anesthesia, even though the exact cause wasn't definitively determined.
Abstract
A Trotter mare (aged 5 years 8 months) presented with severe thoracic limb lameness 2 years after screw fixation of a third carpal bone fracture. Septic arthritis of the intermediate carpal joint necessitated three anaesthetics: two arthroscopic lavages in dorsal recumbency, followed by a computed tomography-guided screw explantation with curettage of an infected, sclerotic third carpal bone in right lateral recumbency. For each anaesthetic, maintenance was with isoflurane carried in oxygen and air, and a medetomidine constant rate infusion. Twelve days after the third anaesthetic, the horse had severe skin necrosis of the right pinna, which fully healed over the course of 6 weeks. This report describes a potential perianaesthetic complication, most likely caused by incorrect head positioning during anaesthesia leading to ischaemic tissue damage. Though a definitive cause could not be established, this report serves to highlight, and raise awareness of, this postanaesthetic morbidity.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39986926/