Maternal and fetal arterial blood gas data during general anaesthesia for caesarean delivery of preterm twin lambs

Much remains to be understood with regards the effects of prolonged anaesthesia on maternal and fetal haemodynamics and oxygenation. With the aim of improving anaesthetic management of pregnant sheep undergoing recovery surgery under anaesthesia, paired maternal and fetal arterial blood samples were collected during caesarean delivery of twin preterm lambs to document the blood gas status of the ewe and fetus. Twenty-one Merino twin pregnant ewes at 126 (±1) days of gestation were anaesthetized for caesarean delivery of their fetuses. Arterial blood samples were collected from the radial artery of the ewe and umbilical artery of the fetus at the point of delivery. There was a significant difference between maternal PaCO2 and end-tidal CO2 and alveolar and arterial PaO2, indicating ventilation perfusion mismatch. Interestingly, the ewes were anaemic but the fetuses were not. These data underscore the need to undertake further work to determine the optimal anaesthetic regimen for twin pregnant ewes at different gestational ages in a biomedical research setting.