Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia
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Clinical Trial
Recovery from neuromuscular block in dogs: restoration of spontaneous ventilation does not exclude residual blockade.
To evaluate if return of spontaneous ventilation to pre-relaxation values indicates complete recovery from neuromuscular blockade. ⋯ Significant residual neuromuscular block could be measured at the hind limb with acceleromyography when ventilation had spontaneously returned to pre-vecuronium values. Monitoring spontaneous ventilation, including end-tidal CO2 , expired tidal volume, peak inspiratory flow or minute ventilation cannot be used as a surrogate for objective neuromuscular monitoring, and this practice may increase the risk of postoperative residual paralysis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Characterisation of tramadol, morphine and tapentadol in an acute pain model in Beagle dogs.
To evaluate the analgesic potential of the centrally acting analgesics tramadol, morphine and the novel analgesic tapentadol in a pre-clinical research model of acute nociceptive pain, the tail-flick model in dogs. ⋯ Different breeds of dogs might not or only poorly respond to treatment with tramadol due to low metabolism of the drug. Tapentadol and morphine which act directly on μ-opioid receptors without the need for metabolic activation are demonstrated to induce potent antinociception in the experimental model used and should also provide a reliable pain management in the clinical situation. The non-opioid mechanisms of tramadol do not provide antinociception in this experimental setting. This contrasts to many clinical situations described in the literature, where tramadol appears to provide useful analgesia in dogs for post-operative pain relief and in more chronically pain states.
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To determine the minimal electrical threshold (MET) necessary to elicit muscle contraction of the pelvic limb or tail when an insulated needle is positioned outside (METout) and inside (METin) the lumbosacral epidural space in cats. ⋯ Nerve stimulation can be employed as a tool to determine penetration of the interarcuate ligament but not the piercing of the dura mater at the lumbosacral space in cats.
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A four year old male neutered Domestic Short Hair cat presented for general anaesthesia for hind limb orthopaedic surgery. The cat had been anaesthetized four days previously with propofol and isoflurane and made an uneventful recovery. ⋯ A presumptive diagnosis of malignant hyperthermia was made. Malignant hyperthermia should be considered, even if prior exposure to volatile inhalational anaesthesia was uneventful, and prompt and aggressive therapy instituted.
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Eleven female dogs of different breeds undergoing unilateral radical (n = 7) or regional abdominal mastectomy (n = 4) received an ultrasound guided transverse abdominis plane block (TAP-block). ⋯ Transverse abdominis plane block combined with intercostal nerve blocks may be useful to produce intraoperative anti-nociception and short term post-operative analgesia in dogs undergoing unilateral mastectomy.