The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice
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Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract. · Mar 1992
Review Practice Guideline GuidelineAdvantages and guidelines for using alpha-2 agonists as anesthetic adjuvants.
Xylazine and medetomidine produce reliable sedation, muscle relaxation, and analgesia in dogs and cats. In addition, alpha-2 agonists have proved very effective as sedative-analgesic adjuncts when coadministered with benzodiazepine or opioid agonists. Alpha-2 agonists should not be classified as monoanesthetics. ⋯ Because of the acute alterations in cardiopulmonary function commonly induced by alpha-2 agonists, it is suggested that their use be restricted to the young healthy patient undergoing routine surgical or diagnostic procedure. The development of more specific and selective alpha-2 agonists will continue to enhance the safety and reliability of this novel class of compounds. The unique spectrum of anesthetic properties induced by alpha-2 agonists has assured them of an increasingly prominent role in the development of new and sophisticated ways of achieving anesthesia.
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Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract. · Mar 1992
ReviewOther new and potentially useful inhalational anesthetics.
Sevoflurane and desflurane are volatile inhaled anesthetics that are currently being investigated as possible improvements for the anesthetic management of human patients. Information to date suggests these agents have several advantages over existing clinical agents. ⋯ Both cause a dose-related depression of cardiopulmonary function, which is comparable to isoflurane. Results of studies to date favor desflurane over sevoflurane because it is less soluble in blood, is stable in soda lime, is biodegraded the least of any volatile anesthetic, and is not toxic.