A yearling California sea lion Zalophus californianus stranded in poor body condition, and on physical examination a heart murmur was audible bilaterally. The sea lion was diagnosed with a left-to-right shunting membranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) using B-mode, color-flow Doppler and continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography. A left-to-right intracardiac shunting lesion was confirmed during cardiac angiographic computed tomography. The VSD defect was verified during the necropsy examination. On histologic examination concurrent mild multifocal myocarditis with focal mild ventricular free-wall myocardial necrosis were identified. A specific cause for the myocarditis and myocardial necrosis was not found, and association with the VSD and resultant myocardial dysfunction was presumed. This is the first report of the antemortem diagnosis of a VSD in a marine mammal and the first report of a VSD in a California sea lion. KEY WORDS: Echocardiography · Congenital defect · Cardiac disease · Heart disease · Ultrasound Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 94: [83][84][85][86][87][88] 2011 to be left-to-right using color-flow Doppler ( Fig. 1) and continuous-wave Doppler. Both ventricles were subjectively dilated. Other cardiac structures were considered normal. Fractional shortening was calculated as 14.5% and ejection fraction as 31%. Heart rate was considered normal at 90 beats per minute (bpm). Published normal cardiac values for fractional shortening and ejection fraction for this species have not been published to the authors' knowledge.On observation of those echocardiogram findings, we obtained right lateral and ventro-dorsal radiographs of the thorax. Radiographs showed an enlarged cardiac silhouette with a calculated vertebral heart score (VHS) from the lateral radiographic view of 10.5 compared to the previously reported mean VHS of 8.65 (Dennison et al. 2009), and increased width on the ventro-dorsal view with the cardiac silhouette occupying 78% compared to the previous mean normal reported as 66% (Dennison et al. 2009). The pulmonary arteries and veins were symmetrical and enlarged compared to radiographs of other animals without evidence of cardiovascular disease, consistent with pulmonary over-circulation. A mixed bronchointerstitial to alveolar pattern was identified in all lung fields and was more apparent ventrally. These radiographic findings were most consistent with a left-toright shunting VSD and concurrent pneumonia and/or early cardiogenic pulmonary edema. The ventral distribution and lack of pulmonary venous distension was more consistent with pneumonia (aspiration, verminous or bacterial).Recovery from anesthesia was uneventful. Therapy for verminous pneumonia was started; it consisted of penicillin G procaine/penicillin G benzathine 1 ml per 10 kg intramuscular (i.m.) every other day (150 000 units of both penicillin forms in suspension; Pen BP-48, IVX Animal Health), carprofen 4.4 mg kg -1 once daily orally (100 mg chewab...

Twenty neonatal harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups in rehabilitation following maternal separation underwent serial echocardiographic studies to assess patency and subsequent age of functional closure of the ductus arteriosus (d.a.). B-mode, color-flow Doppler, and pulse and continuous wave Doppler were utilized to identify the d.a. and determine patency and directionality of blood flow. Seals were also evaluated for evidence of foramen ovale (f.o.) patency. B-mode ultrasound was used to evaluate the inter-atrial septum for abnormal (aneurismal) motion, a sign of f.o. patency in other species. In one harbor seal, this motion was confirmed as being consistent with f.o. patency by contrast echocardiography. Closure of the f.o. was not confirmed in any harbor seal prior to release back into the free-ranging population.Data acquired indicate that there is patency of the f.o. and d.a. after birth for a longer period in phocids than in described terrestrial mammals.

Background: Historically, the ulnar artery has rarely been considered for arterial cannulation as it is less easily palpated than the radial artery. With the current routine use of ultrasound in pediatric patients, the ulnar is as accessible as the radial and could be viewed as an equivalent site for cannulation. Aims:The purpose of this study was to compare ulnar and radial artery suitability for arterial cannulation in pediatric patients using 2-dimensional ultrasound. Methods:We examined the ulnar and radial arteries of pediatric patients aged birth to 6 years who were scheduled to undergo general anesthesia. Following anesthesia induction, the investigators positioned the patient's wrist to 30-45 degrees of extension and obtained images of the ulnar and radial arteries in the transverse and longitudinal planes. Assessments of the arteries' anterior-posterior diameter, cross-sectional area and depth were made by visual inspection at the time of image acquisition and by electronic caliper measurement of recorded images. Results:In 108 patients, mean anterior-posterior diameter of the ulnar artery was larger than the radial artery in the transverse view, longitudinal view, and crosssectional area in 63.6%, 59.4%, and 60.4% of patients (p = .002, .004, and .006, respectively). Mean ulnar artery size was, on average, larger than the radial artery by 7.7%, 8.1%, and 12.9% in the transverse AP diameter, longitudinal AP diameter, and cross-sectional area (95% CI 3.1-12.4%; 3.2-13.0%; 4.4-21.5%). The investigator's visual evaluation of vessel size at the bedside showed substantial agreement with the measured cross-sectional area (linear-weighted kappa of 0.73). In a subset of 13 patients age <24 months, the mean depth of the ulnar artery was 2.13 mm compared to 1.65 mm for the radial artery (difference −0.48 mm 95% CI 1.08-0.12). Conclusions:The ulnar artery was larger than the radial artery in 60% of pediatric patients thus may offer an arterial cannulation site advantage due to its larger size. The use of 2-dimensional ultrasound examination allows accurate assessment of upper extremity distal arteries in order to optimize site selection for arterial cannulation in pediatric patients.