Anesthetic Management during Cesarean Section in English Bulldogs

The authors describe their experience with the management of the perioperative period, general anesthesia and the postoperative period in English bulldogs undergoing elective cesarean section and its effect on the neonates. The anesthetist for animals undergoing cesarean operation must be aware of any special needs, not only of the patient undergoing surgery, but also of the neonates. Anesthetic drugs administered to the pregnant patient will readily cross the placenta and affect them, with the exception of local anesthetics. Pregnant female patients are at increased anesthetic risk due to pregnancy-associated physiological alterations, such as altered pulmonary function. The anesthetist is often called to perform anesthesia on brachycephalic dogs for an elective cesarean section. Due to their conformation, these animals may have one or more anatomical abnormalities of the upper airways, which compromise the ability to ventilate adequately. The induction and recovery phases of anesthesia can be extremely dangerous in these patients, but the maintenance phase is generally fairly straightforward because the airways are controlled during maintenance. In addition, vagal tone is frequently high and this can contribute towards significant bradycardia and further airway narrowing. All these reasons make general anesthesia in brachycephalic dogs undergoing cesarean section rather complicated.