Apneic oxygenation in anesthetized ponies and horses

Apneic oxygenation was studied in six ponies for 30 minutes, and six horses for 10 minutes. Arterial blood was sampled at regular intervals for measurement of oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions (PaO2 and PaCO2) and calculation of alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference (PAO2-PaO2). In both groups of animals, PaO2 decreased rapidly during the first 3 minutes of apnea, then more slowly. Although the mean value was above 100 mmHg at 10 minutes, there was considerable inter-animal variability. Before apnea, PAO2-PaO2 was slightly, but not significantly, larger in horses than in ponies and increased in both groups during the first 3 minutes of apnea, after which the increase was slower. There was no significant difference between ponies and horses up to 10 minutes, suggesting that PAO2-PaO2 is independent of body size. In ponies, the PAO2-PaO2 did not change significantly between 10 and 30 minutes. Final PaO2 could not be correlated with initial PaO2 or initial PAO2-PaO2. The rate of rise of PAO2-PaO2 could not be predicted from baseline values. The rate of rise of PaCO2 was similar and fairly constant in ponies and horses, and did not contribute to the rapid initial decrease in PaO2. It appears that apneic oxygenation should not be used in the equine species, since it is impossible to predict in which animals the technique is safe for more than a few minutes.