Determination of echocardiographic parameters in conscious or sevoflurane-anesthetized green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

• Grant number: 20/02439-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2020
• End date: August 22, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Renata Gaido Cortopassi
• Grantee: André Augusto Justo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Sea turtles play emblematic roles in the preservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, yet all seven species found worldwide occupy critical categories of extinction. In addition to boat collisions and the fishing activity, fibropapillomatosis poses a constant threat to the population of green turtles (Chelonia mydas), which requires gas anaesthesia for the surgical excision of tumors. However, similarly to other reptiles, anaesthesiology is deemed an imprecise science in sea turtles, with little anaesthetic monitoring tools available. In this context, echocardiography proves to be a versatile and dynamic alternative for morphofunctional assessment of the cardiovascular system of sea turtles, both in the pre-anaesthetic clinical evaluation and during the transanaesthetic period. The specimens of C. mydas selected for this study are under treatment for fibropapillomatosis and will be released when completely rehabilitated. This study aims to describe the echocardiogram technique and determine the blood flow characteristic of the large vessels of conscious and anesthetized green turtles. By establishing echocardiographic reference values in C. mydas, the hemodynamic impact of gas anaesthesia can be further investigated when compared to data gathered from conscious animals, which certainly influences on the ability to manage anaesthesia in these patients, which in turn promotes reptile anaesthesiology. Besides, it will support the diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders by the reception of sea turtles in veterinary referral centres, which currently tends to be detected only during the post-mortem examination. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

JUSTO, ANDRE AUGUSTO; PEREIRA DUTRA, GUSTAVO HENRIQUE; ALFONSO, ANGELICA; SILVA, GABRIEL OLIVEIRA; POGLIANI, FABIO CELIDONIO; CARREGARO, ADRIANO BONFIM; GAIDO CORTOPASSI, SILVIA RENATA. Echoanatomical Features of the Major Cervical Blood Vessels of the Juvenile Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY, v. 21, n. 1, p. 8-pg., 2022-06-01. (20/02439-3)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

JUSTO, André Augusto. Effect of the fraction of inspired oxygen on recovery from sevoflurane anesthesia in green turtles (Chelonia mydas). 2022. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD) São Paulo.