J Am Assoc Lab Anim
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J Am Assoc Lab Anim · Mar 2011
Analgesic effects of tramadol, tramadol-gabapentin, and buprenorphine in an incisional model of pain in rats (Rattus norvegicus).
Postoperative pain management in laboratory animals relies heavily on a limited number of drug classes, such as opioids and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Here we evaluated the effects of saline, tramadol, tramadol with gabapentin, and buprenorphine (n = 6 per group) in a rat model of incisional pain by examining thermal hyperalgesia and weight-bearing daily for 6 d after surgery. All drugs were administered preemptively and continued for 2 consecutive days after surgery. ⋯ In contrast, buprenorphine-treated rats showed no thermal hyperalgesia on days 1 and 2 after surgery, and rats given tramadol with gabapentin showed reduced thermal hyperalgesia on days 2 and 4. For tests of weight-bearing, rats treated with saline or with tramadol only showed significantly less ipsilateral weight-bearing on day 1 after surgery, whereas rats given either buprenorphine or tramadol with gabapentin showed no significant change in ipsilateral weight-bearing after surgery. These data suggest that tramadol alone provides insufficient analgesia in this model of incisional pain; buprenorphine and, to a lesser extent, tramadol with gabapentin provide relief of thermal hyperalgesia and normalize weight-bearing.
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J Am Assoc Lab Anim · Jul 2010
Comparative StudyComparison of telemetry and high-definition oscillometry for blood pressure measurements in conscious dogs: effects of torcetrapib.
This study compared torcetrapib-induced blood pressure (BP) changes simultaneously obtained by high-definition oscillometry (HDO) and telemetry. Male beagles (n = 6) received single oral doses of vehicle or torcetrapib at 10 or 30 mg/kg; BP were acquired simultaneously by HDO and telemetry from 2 h before dosage until 7 h afterward. Systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures (MAP) and heart rate were compared by using Altman-Bland agreement analysis. ⋯ Torcetrapib elicited a dose-dependent increase in BP in dogs with baseline MAP of less than 110 mm Hg, whereas increases were maximal with 10 mg/kg in the other group, and dose-dependence was no longer observed. BP changes were influenced by animal temperament, demonstrating that HDO results must be interpreted with caution. HDO may provide a useful and accurate method for noninvasive BP measurements in canine studies.
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J Am Assoc Lab Anim · Jul 2010
Anesthesia with intraperitoneal propofol, medetomidine, and fentanyl in rats.
A safe and reliable method for anesthetizing rats has long been a leading concern of biomedical researchers. We recently found that the intraperitoneal administration of propofol combined with medetomidine and fentanyl is safe for mouse anesthesia. Here we studied whether the same combination could be used for general anesthesia in rats. ⋯ The combination of propofol and medetomidine provided a predictable induction and sufficient hypnosis and muscle relaxation, but surgical anesthesia (loss of pedal withdrawal reflex) was difficult to achieve with this protocol. The addition of fentanyl increased analgesia, making it possible to achieve surgical anesthesia. In conclusion, combination of propofol (100 mg/kg), medetomidine (0.1 mg/kg), and fentanyl (0.1 mg/kg) is a safe and practical technique for intraperitoneal anesthesia in rats, providing a surgical window of 25 min and restraint for 30 min, with rapid recovery after administration of atipamezole.
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J Am Assoc Lab Anim · Jan 2010
Serum biochemical response to inhalant anesthetics in New Zealand white rabbits.
Anesthetics can affect biochemical parameters, complicating the interpretation of laboratory results and perhaps leading to erroneous diagnoses. The present study was performed to characterize variations in selected rabbit biochemical parameters after inhalant anesthetics. Twenty New Zealand White rabbits were allocated to 2 treatment groups (n = 10 animals each), which received either halothane or isoflurane. ⋯ Administration of halothane significantly increased serum triglyceride levels and decreased serum cholesterol, albumin, total protein, and potassium levels. Isoflurane administration increased serum triglyceride, phosphorus, and chloride concentrations and decreased serum calcium and potassium levels. Caution is required in interpreting data on serum biochemical parameters from rabbits anesthetized with halothane or isoflurane.
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J Am Assoc Lab Anim · Nov 2009
Minimizing trauma to the upper airway: a ferret model of neonatal intubation.
Our objective was to determine whether an adult ferret can be intubated as many as 10 times per training session without resulting in trauma to the upper airway. In this program, 8 male ferrets rotated through intubation laboratories, limiting the use of each animal to once every 3 mo. Animals were examined by the veterinary staff after intubations to assess for trauma to upper airway tissue. ⋯ This ongoing training program has been used to teach neonatal intubation skills to emergency medicine residents for the past 12 mo. Ensuring the health and safety of the ferrets was paramount. Our results suggest that as many as 10 intubation attempts per session can be performed safely on each ferret without causing excessive trauma.