PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 243 



longed anaesthesia generally, may cause this accident. The 

 latter, however, usually causes arrest of the respirations. 



The prevention depends upon a careful selection of the 

 patients, and their thorough preparation for the ordeal. 

 Dieting, purgation and exercise for some days prior to the 

 operation is often essential. Animals suspected of having 

 some cardiac lesion, dilatations, hypertrophies, valvular 

 lesions, etc., should be regarded as undesirable subjects. 

 The administration of stimulants prior to the operation, al- 

 though theoretically logical, seems to be useless. 



4. Post-anaesthesia Complications. — The most com- 

 mon complications are bronchitis and broncho-pneumonia. 

 The former may be rather trivial, but it is a very common 

 sequel, especially after prolonged anaesthesia of the horse. 

 It is manifested by fever, inappetance, and cough that 

 either runs a short and favorable course or else terminates 

 in a grave and generally fatal pneumonia. Chloroform 

 pneumonia in the horse, and ether pneumonia in the dog, 

 make their appearance on the third day by the usual symp- 

 toms of that disease. If the disease is w^ide-spread the 

 respirations are greatly accelerated (heaving), the pulse 

 rate is fast, and all food is refused. Death often supervenes 

 after a very short illness of twenty-four hours. In milder 

 cases several days terminate the life of the patient. It is 

 caused by prolonged anaesthesia in the debilitated or ser- 

 iously diseased animal, by exposure to cold after the opera- 

 tion, by pre-existing or approaching infectious diseases 

 of the air passages, or from being predisposed by embolic 

 pneumonia emanating from a suppurating focus at some 

 other point of the body. 



The prevention consists of limiting the duration of the 

 anaesthetic in all cases, by careful attention to the warmth 

 of the patient after the operation, and by avoiding anaesthe- 



