Page 1 - Clinical Connections - Autumn 2022
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CLINICAL CONNECTIONS





                                                                                RVC Clinical Services Newsletter  Autumn 2022












































            CANINE PERICARDIAL EFFUSION BIOBANK

            FOR DIAGNOSTIC ADVANCEMENTS



                  he  RVC  is  compiling  a  biobank  of   Pericardial  effusion  is  a  life-threatening   opportunity  exists  for  samples  to  be
                  fluids removed from around the heart,   condition   that   requires   emergency   collected and tested further in a laboratory
            T enabling pioneering research aimed   stabilisation.  Neoplasia  is  the  underlying   to try to determine if the fluid is neoplastic or
            at developing new diagnostic tests to help   cause in approximately two thirds of cases,   not. This initiative, to store samples in novel
            dogs  at  the  RVC  and  beyond.  It  appears   with the diagnosis of neoplasia of the heart   ways for use in future studies, will involve
            to  be  the  first  such  biobank  of  pericardial   reliant  on  echocardiography  or  computed   the  Emergency  and  Critical  Care  team,
            effusion (PE) samples in dogs globally.  tomography  to  look  for  a  mass.  However,   clinical and anatomic pathology specialists,
              Between the busy first opinion out-of-hours   even  then,  a  specific  diagnosis  may  not   specialist  technicians  and  the  Clinical
            emergency service and the Emergency and   be  possible.  Furthermore,  many  vets  do   Investigation Centre.
            Critical Care referral service at the Queen   not have the facilities to perform advanced
            Mother  Hospital  for  Animals  (QMHA),   imaging  or  may  not  have  the  option  of   Diagnostic advancements and
            around 30 dogs with PE are presented per   referral to a tertiary hospital, therefore the   biomarkers
            year. The emergency services are therefore   diagnosis is often challenging.  New, innovative techniques not yet applied
            in  an  excellent  position  to  compile  the     As  the  PE  fluid  needs  to  be  drained   to  this  type  of  sample  will  be  employed,
            biobank, using fresh PE samples.    emergently as part of treatment, an excellent   including the preparation of a ‘cell block’ from












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            GRASS SEED BEHIND          DACRYOCYSTITIS IN          PRIMARY CARE AND          BEING A PRODUCTION
            EYE REMOVED                PET RABBITS                SHELTER MEDICINE          ANIMAL RESIDENT
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