Blood Lactate Concentrations in Göttingen Minipigs Compared with Domestic Pigs

Measurement of the blood lactate concentration is a useful monitoring tool during anesthesia of animals and people. Recently, blood lactate has been used to monitor anesthetized pigs, but very little is known about variations in blood lactate concentrations in this species. We therefore evaluate the effects of breed (domestic pigs compared with Göttingen minipigs), body weight (domestic pigs of 40 kg compared with 70 kg), type of anesthesia (inhalation compared with infusion) and surgery (minor compared with major surgery) on blood lactate concentrations in pigs. Anesthesia reports from 81 pigs are included. We find significantly higher blood lactate levels in minipigs anesthetized with isofluorane (2.53 ± 1.10 mmol/L) compared with domestic pigs (0.68 ± 0.48 mmol/L). Body weight, type of anesthesia, and type of surgery had no effect on blood lactate levels. Therefore, reference values for blood lactate concentrations in pigs should reflect the breed of interest.