Treatment of hypoxemia during xylazine-tiletamine-zolazepam immobilizationof wapiti

Hypoxemia is a commonly observed complication during the chemical immobiliz ation of wild ruminants. If severe and left untreated, it can predispose an imals to arrhythmias, organ failure, and capture myopathy. The following pr ospective study was designed to measure the degree of hypoxemia in wapiti t hat were immobilized with a combination of xylazine and tiletamine-zolazepa rn and to assess the response to nasal oxygen therapy. Pulse oximetry and a rterial blood gas analysis were used to assess the degree of hypoxemia prio r to nasal insufflation of oxygen and to demonstrate any beneficial effects of this intervention. All wapiti exhibited mild to marked hypoxemia (PaO2 = 43 +/- 11.8 mmHg) prior to treatment and showed marked improvement after 5 minutes of nasal insufflation of oxygen at 10 L/min (PaO2 = 207 +/- 60 mm Hg). This inexpensive, noninvasive technique has great benefit in treating clinical hypoxemia under field conditions, and we recommend that nasal insu fflation of oxygen be implemented during xylazine-tiletamine-zolazepam-indu ced immobilization of wapiti and other wild ruminants.