Optimal Management of the Critically Ill: Anaesthesia, Monitoring, Data Capture, and Point-of-Care Technological Practices in Ovine Models of Critical Care

• Main Authors: Saul Chemonges, Kiran Shekar, John-Paul Tung, Kimble R. Dunster, Sara Diab, David Platts, Ryan P. Watts, Shaun D. Gregory, Samuel Foley, Gabriela Simonova, Charles McDonald, Rylan Hayes, Judith Bellpart, Daniel Timms, Michelle Chew, Yoke L. Fung, Michael Toon, Marc O. Maybauer, John F. Fraser
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2014-01-01
• Series: BioMed Research International
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/468309
• ISSN: 2314-6133; 2314-6141

Animal models of critical illness are vital in biomedical research. They provide possibilities for the investigation of pathophysiological processes that may not otherwise be possible in humans. In order to be clinically applicable, the model should simulate the critical care situation realistically, including anaesthesia, monitoring, sampling, utilising appropriate personnel skill mix, and therapeutic interventions. There are limited data documenting the constitution of ideal technologically advanced large animal critical care practices and all the processes of the animal model. In this paper, we describe the procedure of animal preparation, anaesthesia induction and maintenance, physiologic monitoring, data capture, point-of-care technology, and animal aftercare that has been successfully used to study several novel ovine models of critical illness. The relevant investigations are on respiratory failure due to smoke inhalation, transfusion related acute lung injury, endotoxin-induced proteogenomic alterations, haemorrhagic shock, septic shock, brain death, cerebral microcirculation, and artificial heart studies. We have demonstrated the functionality of monitoring practices during anaesthesia required to provide a platform for undertaking systematic investigations in complex ovine models of critical illness.