Ultrasound‐guided saphenous and sciatic nerve block as part of multimodal pain management in a goat undergoing tibial fracture repair

Abstract

A 6-week-old goat was presented for surgical repair of a Salter Harris type 1 fracture of the right tibia. The goat was premedicated with butorphanol 0.2 mg/kg and midazolam 0.2 mg/kg intramuscularly, followed by induction of anaesthesia with ketamine 1 mg/kg and propofol 3.2 mg/kg intravenously. Anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in an oxygen air mix. An ultrasound-guided saphenous and sciatic nerve block was performed using 0.1 ml/kg/nerve of ropivacaine 0.75%. Except for a slight gradual decrease in arterial blood pressure, all monitored variables remained within accepted ranges throughout surgery. No additional intraoperative analgesia was required. Recovery from anaesthesia was uneventful and the goat started drinking milk 5 minutes after extubation. Buprenorphine 0.02 mg/kg intramuscularly was administered in the evening and repeated 12 hours after the first dose. Additionally, carprofen 1.4 mg/kg intramuscularly was administered every 48 hours for the following days. The goat was discharged 2 days after surgery.

Ultrasound‐guided saphenous and sciatic nerve block with ropivacaine in an adult goat undergoing trochlear sulcoplasty for lateral patellar luxation

“…This locoregional anaesthetic technique has been previously published in dogs and in a 6-week-old goat to localise the nerves of interest. 7,16 However, to the authors' knowledge, this is the only clinical report using this approach in an adult goat undergoing trochlear sulcoplasty for lateral patellar luxation with the preservation of motor function of the limb to promote quicker recovery.…”

“…26 Different studies in goats showed the efficacy of ropivacaine when local anaesthetic techniques were performed. 16,27 Therefore, it was the best choice for the authors on this pet-owned goat.…”

“…Combined femoral and sciatic block using nerve stimulation showed to improve perioperative analgesia in goats undergoing pelvic limb surgeries and the combination of saphenous, and sciatic nerve blocks with an ultrasound-guided approach was useful as a part of a multimodal pain management in a juvenile goat experiencing a similar procedure. 8,16 However, to the authors' knowledge, an ultrasound-guided saphenous and sciatic nerve block has not been described in adult goats undergoing trochlear sulcoplasty.…”

“…The transducer was placed transversal to the long axis of the limb at the medial aspect of the thigh, where the femoral pulse was previously palpated (Figure 1). 16 The femoral artery was centred in the image, and the saphenous nerve was identified as a hyperechoic ovoid structure cranial to the femoral artery and medial to the sartorius muscle (Figure 1). A 20 G, 150 mm echogenic insulated needle (Ultraplex 360 needle, BBraun Medical) was introduced in‐plane using a craniocaudal approach until the tip was close to the nerve of interest (Figure 1).…”

“…The probe was moved distally following the sciatic nerve until an ovoid hyperechoic structure with a double‐rounded hypoechoic area was located medial to the biceps femoris and the adductor muscle and cranial to the semitendinosus muscle (Figure 2). 16 The needle was inserted in‐plane using a caudocranial approach until the tip reached the target area (Figure 2). Extravascular administration was confirmed after negative aspiration before injecting ropivacaine in both areas.…”