RESUMO
A 10-year-old male Shar-Pei was referred for lethargy and proprioceptive deficits of the left thoracic limb. An magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination of the cervical spinal column and the brain was performed. The MRI examination of the brain was normal. A left-sided C3-C4 intervertebral disc extrusion with spinal cord compression was diagnosed. Medical treatment was elected. Within a week after the MRI examination, the dog presented with deep partial-thickness skin burn wounds in both axillae. Since the specific absorption rate had not exceeded the safety limits during any of the scans and no other procedures or circumstances were identified that could possibly have resulted in burn injuries, the thermal burn injuries were diagnosed as radiofrequency (RF) burns. The wounds healed by secondary intent over the next month. RF burns are the most reported complication in humans undergoing MRI but have not been reported in veterinary patients. Clinicians and technicians should consider the potential risk for RF burns in veterinary patients and take precautions regarding positioning of the patient and take notice of any signs of burn injury when performing follow-up examinations.
RESUMO
Potassium bromide is a frequently used antiseizure medication with a half-life time of over 25 days. Oral intake of sodium chloride as well as renal function influence this half-life time and may have an influence on the needed dose to get proper serum levels. The hypothesis is that dogs living close to coastal areas require a greater potassium bromide dose than dogs living more inland. The main study objective was to determine the relationship between bromide dose, serum bromide concentration, treatment duration, type of food, concurrent therapies and the proximity of the dog's residency to a coastal area. A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed. A total of 658 bromide serum measurements were retrieved from the veterinary faculty's laboratory archive, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Information on the bromide dose, renal function, treatment period, type of food, concurrent therapies and residence was obtained retrospectively from owners of all dogs using a postal survey. A dataset of 220 unique study units was created. The dogs were grouped based on their residence (proximity to the coast > or <50 km). Differences between the groups of dogs regarding bromide dose, serum bromide concentration, treatment duration, type of food and concurrent therapies were analyzed to evaluate the effect of residence on bromide dose and serum concentration. Results: Although not statistically significant there is a trend that dogs living in close proximity to the sea may require a higher dose of potassium bromide to maintain therapeutic concentrations compared to dogs living more inlands. Additional studies are needed to further explore this observation.
