ing to cardiopulmonary arrest may also be associated with systemic sequelae for the foal, in
addition to global hypoxic insult incurred as a con-
sequence of the arrest itself. If possible, foals re-
suscitated in the field should be transported
immediately to a referral hospital for further obser-
vation and treatment, or at the very least, closely
monitored on the farm for repeat arrest.
4. Discussion
The described techniques provide practical guide-
lines for performing CPR in foals that without inter-
vention would undoubtedly succumb to respiratory
and cardiac arrest. Success rates will vary by case
and depend on a combination of patient and clini-
cian factors including the underlying cause of arrest,
time to initiation of CPR, and effectiveness of CPR
technique. Fortunately, the long-term neurologic
sequelae frequently noted in humans following car-
diopulmonary arrest seems to be rare in foals, re-
ported in only 6% of large-animal neonates
undergoing successful CPR in a recent retrospec-
tive.
6 With preparation and practice, basic CPR
can be performed in the field with relative ease,
clinicians are encouraged to prepare themselves to
put these techniques into action when the appropri-
ate emergency situation arises.
5. Additional Resources
Additional information and step-by-step instruction
on performing CPR on foals is available via the free online application, Foal CPR by Veterinary Ad-
vances, Ltd., at https://appsto.re/ie/lZ0iG.i.
Acknowledgments
Declaration of Ethics
The Authors declare that they have adhered to the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the
AVMA.
Conflict of Interest Dr. Corley is a director of and author for Veterinary Advances Ltd, that produces Apps for veterinarians
including free Apps on CPR.
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