PB s effects last much longer, and hemodynamic depression at a given level of anesthesia is possibly greater once surgical stimulation abat es. Whether or not any of this is of consequence to Hartwig s research cannot be determined from the information provided. A major reason for avoiding use of PB for survival surgery is the long anesthetic recovery time. Cats recovering from five hours of PB anesthesia require nursing care for several hours to maintain normal body temperature and hydration, to protect the airway, and to prevent self-injury due to the prolonged period of ataxia and disorientation. If there are additional considerations for the use of ip PB, I would suggest the committee observe some of Hartwig s surgeries to assess her staff s proficiency in administering this type of anesthesia and perhaps have her consider a pilot study to evaluate the suitability of one or more alternative anesthetic techniques.
General anesthesia is a nonphysiological state which often sig nificantly affects laboratory data.
Agents other than PB can anesthetize cats for five hour spinal cord procedures, so I think that attention to training and supporting lab personnel would be helpful. I view the veterinarian s role in reviewing protocol s as an opportunity to discuss with the investigator their priorities regarding data collection and the logical selection of an anesthetic technique which balances the two considerations with what is appropriate for the animal species used. C.B. Evaluation of intraperitoneal and intrahepatic administration of a euthanasia agent in animal shelter cats.