Comparison of cephalic and jugular plasma lactate concentrations in sick cats: a pilot study

Objectives To compare plasma lactate concentration (PLC) in paired cephalic and jugular blood samples from sick cats. An additional objective was to determine whether hypotensive cats (Doppler blood pressure < 90 mm Hg) have a significant difference between cephalic and jugular PLC. Design Prospective observational pilot study performed from December 2013 to August 2014. Setting Private veterinary referral center. Animals Twenty client‐owned cats. Interventions Doppler blood pressure measurements were obtained and then blood samples were collected from both a cephalic intravenous catheter at the time of placement and from a jugular vein by direct venipuncture. Measurements and Main Results There was no significant difference between the mean cephalic PLC (2.0 mmol/L, standard deviation [SD]: 1.1, min–max: 0.6–5.3) and the mean jugular PLC (2.1 mmol/L, SD: 1.6, min–max: 0.7–7.8; P = 0.88) in this population of sick cats. Hypotensive cats also had no significant difference between the mean cephalic PLC (2.8 mmol/L, SD: 1.4, min–max: 1.6–5.3) and the mean jugular PLC (3.2 mmol/L, SD: 2.6, min–max: 0.7–7.8; P = 0.77). Conclusions There was not a significant difference between cephalic and jugular PLC in this population of sick cats. Further studies are needed to confirm whether cephalic and jugular PLCs may be used interchangeably in sick and hypotensive cats.