Companion animals often present to the veterinarian due to accidental poisoning.  If a prolonged period of time has passed making gastrointestinal decontamination less effective or the poisoning is considered life threatening, blood purification is recommended.  The  VetResQ® is an extracorporeal hemadsorption device that is made of biocompatible sorbent beads that can non-specifically remove low-molecular weight proteins from the circulating blood such as cytokines, toxins and medications.  Studies performed in a laboratory setting have shown that this device removes approximately 60% of ibuprofen from a blood sample.  While the VetResQ® cartridge is already being safely used to treat veterinary patients with poisonings, information has not been published documenting how much drug has actually been removed from the blood.  Therefore, the objective of this study is to obtain data documenting the change in patient NSAID blood levels during treatment in patients with NSAID poisoning in which extracorporeal drug purification is recommended. 

Eligibility:

• Dogs and cats greater than 5 kg (11 lbs)
• Severe NSAID overdose in which extracorporeal therapy is recommended
• Ineligible or unable to undergo therapeutic plasma exchange
• Has not received IV lipid emulsion therapy

Benefits:

• VetResQ® cartridge(s) FREE (savings of$825 – $1,638)
• NSAID level bloodwork FREE (savings of $500 – $1,000)
• $750 paid towards cost of treatment

Please contact the VCIC at 215-573-0302 or vcic@vet.upenn.edu for more information about this study.