Comparative cardiovascular, analgesic, and sedative effects of medetomidine, medetomidine-hydromorphone, and medetomidine-butorphanol in dogs

• Published in: American journal of veterinary research Vol. 65; no. 7; pp. 931 - 937
• Main Authors: Kuo, W.C, Keegan, R.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2004
• Subjects: Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists; Analgesics, Opioid - pharmacology; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Blood Gas Analysis - veterinary; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Body Temperature - drug effects; Butorphanol - administration & dosage; Butorphanol - pharmacology; Cardiac Output - drug effects; Central Venous Pressure - drug effects; Dogs - physiology; Heart Rate - drug effects; Hydromorphone - administration & dosage; Hydromorphone - pharmacology; Injections, Intravenous - veterinary; Medetomidine - administration & dosage; Medetomidine - pharmacology; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure - drug effects; Respiration - drug effects; Stroke Volume - drug effects; Time Factors; Vascular Resistance - drug effects
• ISSN: 0002-9645; 1943-5681
• DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.2004.65.931

To compare sedative, analgesic, and cardiopulmonary effects after IV administration of medetomidine (20 microg/kg), medetomidine-hydromorphone (20 microg of medetomidine/kg and 0.1 mg of hydromorphone/kg), and medetomidine-butorphanol (20 microg of medetomidine/kg and 0.2 mg of butorphanol tartrate/kg) in dogs. 6 dogs healthy mixed-breed dogs. Instruments were surgically inserted, and heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), central venous pressure (CVP), core body temperature, and cardiac output (CO) were measured 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after injection. Cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), stroke index (SI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were calculated. Arterial samples for blood gas analysis were collected 0, 15, and 45 minutes after injection. Intensity of analgesia, degree of sedation, and degree of muscle relaxation were evaluated at aforementioned time points and 75, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 210 minutes after injection. Administration of medetomidine, medetomidine-hydromorphone, and medetomidine-butorphanol was associated with increases in SAP, MAP, DAP, MPAP, PCWP, CVP, SVR, PVR, core body temperature, and PaCO2 and decreases in HR, CO, CI, SV, SI, RR, pH, and PaO2. Clinically important differences were not detected among treatments. Medetomidine-hydromorphone and medetomidine-butorphanol provided a longer duration of sedation and better quality of analgesia, compared with medetomidine alone. Medetomidine-hydromorphone or medetomidine-butorphanol is associated with improved analgesia and sedation but has cardiopulmonary effects comparable to those for medetomidine alone.