Landscape review about the decision to euthanize a compromised pig.

Timely euthanasia of a compromised pig in farming practice has been identified as a critical topic in veterinary medicine. The questions 'why and when are pigs euthanized' and 'what influences the decision making process' need to be answered to improve the situation. In the past five years, work addressing these issues has been published in the literature, however, a synthesis of the findings is missing. With the help of a quantitative and qualitative analysis, this paper has generated a landscape review to outline major topics, the role of clinical signs and further influences on the decision to euthanize a pig. Due to the quantitative content analysis, 58 topics have been identified with the role of welfare as a justification and training for caretakers in making euthanasia decisions as the most frequently mentioned. The qualitative analysis of why and when a pig is euthanized generated a set of clinical signs for organ tracts, and a set of categories influencing the decision making process. The results outline the need to increase research on details specific to understanding how clinical signs evolve over time before euthanasia. In summary, the analysis provides an overview of work in the field and ideas on how to close knowledge gaps in the future. Moreover, the article contributes to harmonize efforts in the field and underlines the need for more research about the care of compromised and injured pigs.

[The therapeutic system, CODIC]. / Das Therapeutische System CODIC.

CODIC-COmputeriseD Infusion Control is the first universally applicable therapeutic system which can be programmed by the user. CODIC consists of a monitoring unit for IMED 929 infusion pump. It is the first open therapeutic system in the "no demand" mode which is not only programmed but can also be programmed and modified by the user. This makes it universally applicable. It was mainly developed for highly effective drugs with a narrow therapeutic range and short half-life. CODIC opens up possibilities for the optimisation of advanced drug therapy which had not existed so far (e.g. cytostatics). If operated in the "on demand" mode via a pushbutton pressed down by the patient according to individual requirements by analgesic boluses, CODIC provides freedom from pain (not only postoperatively). The fixed-programme infusion profile prevents excess dosage. The same applies to pain relief during child birth. CODIC has been in routine use by the author for the last two years, especially for the automatic monitoring of infusions of Tramadol, Nalbuphin or NLA substances in combination anaesthesia, or in controlled hypotension with nitroprusside.

[Infusion-controlled Tramal-anaesthesia (author's transl)]. / Kombinationsnarkose mit Tramadol-Infusion.

The author reports a new technique of balanced anaesthesia using a pump-controlled 0.1% solution of Tramadol instead of the inhalation of halothane, enflurane or infusion of neuroleptanalgetic agents. Tramadol (Tramal) is a new analgetic drug without side effects: no postnarcotic respiratory depression, sickness or vomiting do not occur, and it does not interfere with the cardiovascular system. The other great advantage is the ultrashort recovery of the patient, mostly with 30-60 s, even after long lasting surgical procedures over several hours. The author has been convinced for more than 15 years that the future of anaesthesia no longer lies in the inhalation of chloroformoids, but in the infusion of analgesic substances. His experience has shown that the analgesic drug Tramadol, which has practically no side-effects, is a considerable advance into this direction. Last but not least this also applies to the prompt post-anaesthetic recovery and the absence of postoperative complications. This technique has been used in the last two years in 7500 patients, So far we have not seen an contraindications to Tramadol infusion. On the contrary, the greater the risk, the more this form of anaesthesia was found to be indicated.

["Dinamap"--a new automatic indirect blood pressure registration device for anaesthetized patients (author's transl)]. / "Dinamap"--ein neues automatisches, indirektes Blutdruckmessgerät für narkotisierte Patienten.

The "Dinamap" measures automatically using a non invasive technique the arterial systolic, diastolic and mean pressure and the pulse rate. Its accuracy is comparable with invasive transducer monitoring. The device is automatically zero-controlled and is based on the oscillometric procedure. The interval can be selected within a wide range.

[Anaesthetic gas suction device for the Takaoka-Respirator ("Ventex") (author's transl)]. / Narkosegas-Absaugvorrichtung für den Takaoka-Respirator (Ventex).

Due to its basic principle the Takaoka-Respirator uses essentially a higher gas flow per minute then the normal anesthesia-circuit-system. In order to avoid any air-pollution we have recently constructed a special airtight plastic box (Ventex) with fittings for the respirator and its manometer.