Rupture of the Superior Sagittal Sinus in Penetrating Head Injury—Management of a Rare Trauma Mechanism

Civilian penetrating head injury caused by foreign objects is rare in Germany (Europe), but can result in complex neurovascular damage. We report on a patient who in suicidal intent inflicted on himself a penetrating brain injury near the vertex with a captive bolt gun. A laceration at the junction of the middle to the posterior third of the superior sinus occurred by bolt and bone fragments leading to critical stenosis and subsequent thrombosis. Upon surgery, the proximal and distal sinus openings were completely thrombosed. The sinus laceration was closed by suture and the intraparenchymal bone fragments were retrieved. Postoperative angiography disclosed persistent occlusion of the superior sagittal sinus. The patient did not develop any symptoms due to venous congestion (edema, hemorrhage), suggesting sufficient collateral venous outflow. The patient completely recovered despite the complexity of the lesion.

283 Timely Euthanasia on Farm; Dairy Cattle and Swine

Euthanasia of mature swine and cattle can be challenging. On-farm euthanasia should be used as a tool to eliminate pain and suffering. However, clear guidelines regarding making euthanasia decisions and alternative euthanasia techniques available for use is limited in the United States (US). In order to prevent prolonged suffering and pain in compromised animals, science-based recommendations are needed to ensure timely and humane euthanasia can be performed when needed on-farm. This presentation will focus on two euthanasia challenges currently faced in swine and dairy cattle systems in the US today: 1) Swine: Validating alternative euthanasia techniques for use in mature breeding stock and 2) Dairy Cattle: Identifying producer barriers preventing timely euthanasia decision-making using surveys and focus groups. The swine study evaluated the effectiveness of two penetrating captive bolt gun styles (cylinder or pistol) using a frontal, temporal and behind-the-ear placement. Four treatments were 100% effective in achieving cardiac arrest and death. The cylinder style captive bolt gun resulted in greater brain trauma and death compared to a pistol style gun and behind-the-ear and temporal placement showed promise as an alternative placement site for euthanizing mature pigs. In the dairy cattle study, dairy producers were recruited to participate in a survey and focus group. Survey results indicated that farm owners were most commonly responsible for on-farm euthanasia and most respondents would treat and monitor compromised cattle for a majority of health conditions, regardless of condition severity. Participants in focus groups focused primarily on animal welfare as the most important factor influencing the decision to euthanize and the desire to eliminate animal suffering by using euthanasia as a tool. This work highlights the complicated challenges that arise when euthanizing livestock and the importance of not only identifying appropriate techniques to humanely euthanize livestock but address the emotional and animal welfare factors that influence these decisions.

Validating the effectiveness of alternative euthanasia techniques using penetrating captive bolt guns in mature swine (Sus scrofa domesticus)

ABSTRACT: Euthanasia of mature swine is challenging. Temporal and behind-the-ear locations are two sites that have been identified as alternatives to the more commonly used frontal placement. In stage-one, the effectiveness of two penetrating captive bolt gun styles (cylinder or pistol) was evaluated using frontal, temporal and behind-the-ear placement in anesthetized mature swine (n=36; weight: 267 ± 41 kg). For stage-one, when evaluating treatment efficacy by sex, the cylinder style equipment was 100% effective in achieving death when applied to all cranial locations (frontal, temporal, behind-the-ear) for sows; however, the pistol style equipment was only 100% effective when applied at the behind-the-ear location for sows. For boars, the cylinder style equipment was 100% effective when applied to the frontal and behind-the-ear location, but the pistol style equipment was not effective for any cranial location in boars. Therefore, the pistol-frontal, pistol-temporal, pistol- behind-the-ear and cylinder-temporal were not included for boars, and pistol-frontal and pistol-temporal were not included for sows in stage-two. In stage-two, commercial, mixed breed, mature swine (n=42; weight: 292 +/- 56 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments based on inclusion criteria described in stage-one. A 3-point traumatic brain injury (TBI) score (0=normal; 1=some abnormalities; 3=grossly abnormal, unrecognizable) was used to evaluate six neuroanatomical structures (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hypothalamus, thalamus, pons and brain stem) and the presence of hemorrhage was also noted. All treatments were 100% effective in stage-two. A significant interaction between gun style and placement was determined on predicting total TBI as the cylinder style produced a higher total TBI score compared to the pistol type, of magnitude of +2.8 (P < 0.01). The cylinder style tended to produce a greater TBI score than the pistol in the temporal location (+1.2; P=0.08). No difference was noted for TBI score behind-the-ear between the cylinder and pistol style gun (P>0.05). TBI tended to be less in boars compared to sows (-0.6; P=0.08). Hemorrhage was observed in frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes. This study demonstrated that the cylinder style captive bolt gun more effectively resulted in brain trauma and death compared to a pistol style gun and the behind-the-ear and temporal placement showed promise as an alternative placement site for euthanizing mature pigs on-farm.

The Effect of Heat Stress on Autophagy and Apoptosis of Rumen, Abomasum, Duodenum, Liver and Kidney Cells in Calves

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of heat stress on the autophagy and apoptosis of the rumen, abomasum, duodenum, liver and kidney in calves. Two groups of Holstein male calves were selected with similar birth weights and health conditions. Heat stress (HT): Six calves (birth weight 42.2 ± 2.3) were raised from July 15 to August 19. Cooling (CL): Six calves (birth weight 41.5 ± 3.1 kg) were raised from April 10 to May 15. All the calves were euthanized following captive bolt gun stunning at 35 d of age. The expression of protein 1 light chain 3-Ⅱ (LC3-Ⅱ) and caspase3 in the rumen, abomasum, duodenum, liver and kidney were determined by western blotting. In addition, other possible relevant serum biochemical parameters were evaluated. Significant differences were observed in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin (ALB) and glucose (Glu). The results showed that heat stress could increase the autophagy and apoptosis of the kidney, duodenum and abomasum. However, heat stress had no effect on the autophagy and apoptosis of the liver. Additionally, the expression of caspase-3 in the rumen in HT was significantly lower than that in CL. In conclusion, the effects of heat stress on autophagy and apoptosis are organ-specific. The results provide knowledge regarding autophagy and autophagy in calf heat stress management.

Evaluation of a spring-powered captive bolt gun for killing kangaroo pouch young

Context During commercial harvesting or non-commercial kangaroo culling programs, dependent young of shot females are required to be euthanased to prevent suffering and because they would be unlikely to survive. However, the current method for killing pouch young, namely a single, forceful blow to the base of the skull, is applied inconsistently by operators and perceived by the public to be inhumane. Aims To determine whether an alternative method for killing pouch young, namely a spring-operated captive bolt gun, is effective at causing insensibility in kangaroo pouch young. Methods Trials of spring-operated captive bolt guns were conducted first on the heads of 15 dead kangaroo young and then on 21 live pouch young during commercial harvesting. We assessed the effectiveness at causing insensibility in live animals and damage caused to specific brain areas. We also measured depth of bolt penetration and skull thickness. Performance characteristics (e.g. bolt velocity) of two types of spring-operated guns were also measured and compared with cartridge-powered devices. Key results When tested on the heads of dead animals, the spring-operated captive bolt gun consistently produced a large entrance cavity and a well defined wound tract, which extended into the cerebrum, almost extending the full thickness of the brain, including the brainstem. When tested on live pouch young, the captive bolt gun caused immediate insensibility in only 13 of 21 animals. This 62% success rate is significantly below the 95% minimum acceptable threshold for captive bolt devices in domestic animal abattoirs. Failure to stun was related to bolt placement, but other factors such as bolt velocity, bolt diameter and skull properties such as thickness and hardness might have also contributed. Spring-operated captive bolt guns delivered 20 times less kinetic energy than did cartridge-powered devices. Conclusions Spring-operated captive bolt guns cannot be recommended as an acceptable or humane method for stunning or killing kangaroo pouch young. Implications Captive bolt guns have potential as a practical alternative to blunt head trauma for effective euthanasia and reducing animal (and observer) distress. However, operators must continue to use the existing prescribed killing methods until cartridge-powered captive bolt guns have been trialled as an alternative bolt propelling method.