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The primary goal was to investigate the effects of l-carnitine on fuel efficiency, as an antioxidant, and for muscle recovery in Labrador retrievers. Dogs were split into two groups, with one group being supplemented with 250 mg/d of Carniking™ l-carnitine powder. Two experiments (Expt 1 and Expt 2) were performed over a 2-year period which included running programmes, activity monitoring, body composition scans and evaluation of recovery using biomarkers. Each experiment differed slightly in dog number and design: fifty-six v. forty dogs; one endurance and two sprint runs per week v. two endurance runs; and differing blood collection time points. All dogs were fed a low-carnitine diet in which a fixed amount was offered based on maintaining the minimum starting weight. Results from Expt 1 found that the carnitine dogs produced approximately 4000 more activity points per km compared with the control group during sprint (P = 0·052) and endurance runs (P = 0·0001). Male carnitine dogs produced half the creatine phosphokinase (CPK) following exercise compared with male control dogs (P = 0·05). Carnitine dogs had lower myoglobin at 6·69 ng/ml following intensive exercise compared with controls at 24·02 ng/ml (P = 0·0295). Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) results were not considered significant. In Expt 2, body composition scans indicated that the carnitine group gained more total tissue mass while controls lost tissue mass (P = 0·0006) and also gained lean mass while the control group lost lean mass (P v. control at 28·37 mU/ml 24 h after post-run (P = 0·003). Myoglobin levels were lower in carnitine v. control dogs both 1 h post-run (P = 0·0157; 23·83 v. 37·91 ng/ml) and 24 h post-run (P = 0·0189; 6·25 v.13·5 ng/ml). TAC indicated more antioxidant activity in carnitine dogs at 0·16 mmv. control at 0·13 mm (P = 0·0496). TBARS were also significantly lower in carnitine dogs both pre-run (P = 0·0013; 15·36 v. 23·42 µm) and 1 h post-run (P = 0·056; 16·45 v. 20·65 µm). Supplementing l-carnitine in the form of Carniking™ had positive benefits in Labrador retrievers for activity intensity, body composition, muscle recovery and oxidative capacity.

Medical informatics provide a new way to evaluate the practice of medicine. Anesthesia automated record keepers have introduced anesthesiologists to computerized medical records. To derive useful information from the stored data requires programming that is not currently commercially available. The authors describe how they custom-programmed an automated record keeper's database to perform cost calculations, how they validated the programming, and how they used the data in a successful pharmaceutical cost-containment program.The Arkive (San Diego, CA) automated record keeper database was programmed at Duke University Medical Center as an independent noncommercial project to calculate costs according to standard formulae and to follow adherence to Duke University Department of Anesthesiology's prescribing guidelines for anesthetic drugs. Validation of that programming (including analysis of discarded drugs) was accomplished by comparing database calculated costs with actual pharmacy distribution of drugs during a 1-month period.Validation data demonstrated a 99% accuracy rate for total costs of the drugs studied (atracurium, vecuronium, rocuronium, propofol, midazolam, fentanyl, and isoflurane). The study drugs represented approximately 67% of all drug costs for the period studied.Programming of an anesthesia automated record keeper's database yields essential information for management of an anesthetic practice. Accurate economic evaluation of anesthetic drug use is now possible. In the future, as definitive identification of best anesthetic practices that yield optimal patient outcomes and higher measures of patient satisfaction is pursued, large numbers of patients should be studied. This is only possible through database analysis and complete computerization of the perioperative medical record.