POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIC AND CARDIOPULMONARY EFFECTS IN DOGS OF OXYMORPHONE ADMINISTERED EPIDURALLY AND INTRAMUSCULARLY, AND MEDETOMIDINE ADMINISTERED EPIDURALLY - A COMPARATIVE CLINICAL-STUDY
N. Vesal et al., POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIC AND CARDIOPULMONARY EFFECTS IN DOGS OF OXYMORPHONE ADMINISTERED EPIDURALLY AND INTRAMUSCULARLY, AND MEDETOMIDINE ADMINISTERED EPIDURALLY - A COMPARATIVE CLINICAL-STUDY, Veterinary surgery, 25(4), 1996, pp. 361-369
Thirty dogs undergoing pelvic or hindlimb orthopedic surgery were each
administered one of the following postoperative treatments: intramusc
ular oxymorphone 0.15, mg/kg (OLM) (n = 10); epidural oxymorphone 0.05
mg/kg, (OEP) (n = 10); or epidural medetomidine, 0.015 mg/kg (MEP) (n
= 10). Heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and arterial blood pre
ssure were measured before drug injection and 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180
, 240, 300, 360, 420, and 480 minutes postinjection (PI). Arterial blo
od gas analysis was performed before and 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 360
, and 480 minutes PI. The duration of analgesia with OEP, 7.62 + 0.30
hours (mean +/- SEM), and MEP, 7.06 +/- 0.50 hours, was significantly
(P < .05) longer than the 4.91 + 0.44 hours obtained with OIM. All tre
atments resulted in a significant decrease in HR. Four dogs receiving
epidural medetomidine each had second degree atrioventricular (AV) blo
ck associated with sinus arrhythmia for a brief period during the firs
t 20 minutes after injection. There was no significant difference in a
rterial blood pressure between OIM and OEP but arterial blood pressure
was significantly higher with MEP than with OIM. MEP can provide anal
gesia comparable with OEP, but bradycardia and second degree AV block
will develop in some cases. (C) Copyright 1996 by The American College
of Veterinary Surgeons.