1,721,050 research outputs found
Updates on coagulation testing
No full textSummary - This paper illustrates the difficulties of accurately assessing the coagulation profile due to the complexity of this system, which is strictly related to inflammatory conditions. Moreover, the classical interpretation of the blood coagulation cascade has been reviewed, and some new highlights pointed out. Currently, several tests are available to explore primary or secondary haemostasis as well as fibrinolysis. The decision to use a preliminary panel of tests readily accessible to veterinarians in practice is worthy. Tests included in the preliminary panel should give a basic interpretation in the several steps of coagulation with good sensitivity and specificity. Then, depending on the results obtained, more detailed assays could be used in order to characterize the defect or the exact deficiency in haemostasis
Le basi fondamentali per sviluppare un corretto “approccio orientato al problema” per la gestione dei casi clinici
Full text linkThe problem-oriented approach (POA) is a ratio- nal method to manage clinical cases globally adopted in the medical practice. The centre of this me- thod is the ‘problem’, which becomes the goal of the medical path aimed to the resolution of this evidence. Additionally, the medical record build around the ‘problem’ (POMR, problem oriented medical record) becomes an effective means to follow the evolution of this condition and it allows a persuasive management of the patient. The following scheme is develop to describe the medical action: data base collection, to arrange the initial database of patient’s problems; list of problems, where the meaning for problem is “anything that has, does, or may require health care management, and that has or could significantly affect a patient’s well-being”1, and it should be formulated by pro- gressive refinements until becomes a short list of master problems; plan formulation, including a dia- gnostic plan to verify and localize the problem and then to look for both its pathophysiologic mecha- nism and cause, and a therapeutic plan incorporating a specific, supportive, symptomatic and palliative treatment. Based on this scheme prognostic consi- deration and supplying an effective client education could be formulated. Finally, the medical action path is completed with progress notes including: subjective (S) and objective (O) data collected from the patien- t’s follow-up or monitoring, problem assessment (A) which is then re-evaluated and further diagnostic or therapeutic plan (P) revised and up-dated (the so-called SOAP). The POA is really useful to the application of the evidence-based medicine
Leishmaniasis and tick borne diseases in dogs. Evaluation of the coagulation profile
No full textLeishmaniasis and tick borne diseases are disorders frequently detected in the Mediterranean area, and due to the increased movement of animals across Europe are increasingly recognized also in other countries. Moreover, the intermediate hosts of these pathogens (sandflies and ticks) are widely distributed in Europe due to climate changes over the last decades. A large program of research in tick borne diseases is currently under way and some aspects still remain to be explored in order to clarify the importance and spread of these disorders. In subclinical or asymptomatic dogs it is quite rare to detect involvement of the coagulation system. In clinically affected dogs, due both to the severe inflammation and immunological disarrangement, the hemostatic system is strongly solicited, cooperating in the disease progression, course and prognosis
Correlation between the Severity Prediction Index score (SPI-2) and tear production in 100 critically ill dogs admitted to the intensive care unit
No full texturpose: To determine the relationship between the severity of a systemic disease and tear production (TP) in critically ill dogs admitted to the intensive care unit. Methods: One hundred dogs of various breeds and both sexes were enrolled in the study. Inclusion criteria were as follows: presence of a severe systemic disease, no anesthesiological procedures within the previous 24 h, and no therapy with drugs that could interfere with TP. Another inclu- sion criterium was the absence of any ocular abnormalities assessed by slit-lamp biomi- croscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and applanation tonometry preceded by the Schirmer Tear Test type I in both eyes. For each dog the illness severity was calculated by a diagnosis independent score (Severity Prediction Index - SPI-2) which predicts probability of survival based on variation of 7 clinical parameters within 24 h of admission. Data were statistically analyzed and the Spearmann test was used to detect a possible correlation between SPI-2 score and TP. Results: In the 53 male and 47 female dogs no statistical difference in TP was found between left and right eyes. No significant effect of both, age and body weight on TP was detected. A difference related to gender was found, with intact male dogs showing a lower TP. The variables SPI-2 and TP in the critically ill dogs were correlated (P < 0.0001) and a positive correlation was detected (rs 0.957). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that tear production tends to decrease in dogs with lower SPI-2 scores, in other words in the more critically ill dogs
Validation of an immunoturbidimetric D-dimer assay in canine citrated plasma
No full textD-dimer is a neoantigen formed when thrombin initiates the transformation of fibrinogen to fibrin; it is derived from plasmin digestion of cross-linked fibrin. In human medicine, the usefulness of this analyte in diagnosing disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) has been assessed in patients fulfilling the clini- cal and laboratory requirements for this disorder. In canine medicine, the use of D-dimer is relatively new. Detailed studies are needed to understand the relationship between D-dimer concentration in plasma and DIC status in dogs. We validated a D-dimer immunoturbidimetric assay (Tina-quant [a] D-Dimer, Boehringer Mannheim) in canine citrated plasma samples. Intra-assay and interassay variability (coefficient of variation) was 5.63% and 8.82%, respectively. The assay was linear, using 2 samples with low and high D-dimer concen- trations (r = .996 and .998). Accuracy was 102.2% and 95.7% based on a recovery study in which 2 samples were assessed. Reference values for D-dimer were established using 70 healthy dogs that were assessed clinically and evaluated on the basis of a complete laboratory workup. The reference range was set between 0.02 and 0.28 μg/mL (chi-square test for normal distribution, P > .05)
Hemophilia A (Factor VIII Deficiency) in a Family of Belgian Shepherd Malinois Dogs Bred in Italy
No full textMultidetector CT angiography in acquired anomalies of the canine portal venous system due to portal hypertension: three cases
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Computed tomographic adrenal gland quantification in canine adrenocorticotroph hormone-dependent hyperadrenocorticism
No full textWe conducted a retrospective study to determine whether multidetector computed tomography (CT) could be of value for adrenal gland assessment in dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism. Adrenal gland attenuation and volume values of 49 dogs with hyperadrenocorticism were recorded and age, body weight, and gender were examined to determine if a relationship existed between these variables and adrenal gland morphology. There was not a statistically significant difference in mean X-ray attenuation of the left vs. right adrenal gland in normal dogs (35.3 +/- 6.1 HU), or in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism. The mean adrenal X-ray attenuation (+/- standard deviation [SD]) in dogs with microadenoma was 33.1 +/- 6.8 vs. 31.8 +/- 12.7 HU for dogs with macroadenoma, and these values were not statistically different. The mean volume of the left adrenal gland in normal dogs (0.59 +/- 0.17 cm3) was greater than that of the right adrenal gland (0.54 +/- 0.19 cm3) (P < 0.05). The mean CT volume (+/- SD) of the adrenal glands in dogs with microadenoma vs. macroadenoma were 1.60 +/- 1.25 vs. 2.88 +/- 1.60 cm3, respectively. There was no effect of age or gender on adrenal gland morphology or X-ray attenuation. The weight effect was the most important source of variation for the volume measurement in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism
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