The effusions are frequent clinical problems and can occur in consequence to an illness that culminates with decrease of the intravascular coloidosmotic pressure, increase of local hydrostatic pressure, increase of vascular permeability and/or compromising of the drainage accomplished by lymphatic vases. Therefore, the laboratorial evaluation of this fluid becomes relevant, jointly with clinical signs presented by patient; to become possible the diagnosis definition and institution of appropriate therapeutic. Thus, classification of effusion in exudate and transudate is one of major points to elucidation of diagnosis and conduction of clinical case. In veterinary medicine the traditional method of an effusion classification is based on cellular counting and protein concentration of the fluid, however, several studies evidence that such parameters are not enough for the correct classification of all kinds of effusions. Considering this, the present study aimed to verify the correlation of some biochemical parameters with the differentiation of transudatives and exudatives effusions. To perform this, the activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were appraised, as well as the relationship of their activities with fluid/serum; lactate and proteins concentration and fluid/serum gradients of concentration of these same substances. The results allowed to observe that the activity of LDH, relationship LDH and fluid/serum, lactate concentration and lactate fluid/serum gradient of concentration present statistically significant difference (P<0.05), as well as a high correlation with the classification of an exudative effusion.
effusions; biochemical analysis; lactate; lactate dehydrogenase; canine
