Agreement among undergraduate and graduate veterinary students and veterinary anesthesiologists on pain assessment in cats and dogs: A preliminary study.

This study investigated agreement among undergraduate and graduate veterinary students and veterinary anesthesiologists on video pain assessment at the University of Montreal. Pain assessment in dogs and cats appeared to be affected by gender, previous experience, and degree of training despite a small population of observers.

Accord entre étudiants de premier cycle, diplômés en médicine vétérinaire et anesthésistes pour l'évaluation de la douleur chez les chats et les chiens : étude préliminaire. Cette étude a évalué l'accord entre les étudiants de premier cycle, les étudiants diplômés en médicine vétérinaire et les anesthésiologistes vétérinaires pour l'évaluation de la douleur sur vidéo, à l'Université de Montréal. L'évaluation de la douleur chez les chiens et les chats était influencée par le sexe, l'expérience antérieure et le niveau de formation, malgré une population d'observateurs limitée.(Traduit par les auteurs).

Effects of transdermal fentanyl solution application and subsequent naloxone hydrochloride administration on minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To assess the isoflurane-sparing effect of a transdermal formulation of fentanyl solution (TFS) and subsequent naloxone administration in dogs. DESIGN Experiment. ANIMALS 6 healthy mixed-breed dogs. PROCEDURES Minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane was determined in each dog with a tail clamp method (baseline). Two weeks later, dogs were treated with TFS (2.7 mg/kg [1.23 mg/lb]), and the MAC of isoflurane was determined 4 and 24 hours later. After the 4-hour MAC assessment, saline (0.9% NaCl) solution was immediately administered IV and MAC was reassessed. After the 24-hour MAC assessment, naloxone hydrochloride (0.02 mg/kg [0.01 mg/lb], IV) was immediately administered and MAC was reassessed. Heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood pressure, end-tidal partial pressure of CO2, and oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry were recorded for each MAC assessment. RESULTS Mean ± SD MAC of isoflurane at 4 and 24 hours after TFS application was 45.4 ± 4.0% and 45.5 ± 4.5% lower than at baseline, respectively. Following naloxone administration, only a minimal reduction in MAC was identified (mean percentage decrease from baseline of 13.1 ± 2.2%, compared with 43.8 ± 5.6% for saline solution). Mean heart rate was significantly higher after naloxone administration (113.2 ± 22.2 beats/min) than after saline solution administration (76.7 ± 20.0 beats/min). No significant differences in other variables were identified among treatments. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The isoflurane-sparing effects of TFS in healthy dogs were consistent and sustained between 4 and 24 hours after application, and these effects should be taken into consideration when anesthetizing or reanesthetizing TFS-treated dogs.

Hemodynamic influence of acepromazine or dexmedetomidine premedication in isoflurane-anesthetized dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate hemodynamic effects of acepromazine and dexmedetomidine premedication in dogs undergoing general anesthesia induced with propofol and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen and assess the influence of these drugs on oxygen-carrying capacity and PCV. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized crossover study. ANIMALS: 6 healthy adult dogs. PROCEDURES: Dogs received acepromazine (0.05 mg/kg [0.023 mg/lb]) or dexmedetomidine (15.0 µg/kg [6.82 µg/lb]) IM. Fifteen minutes later, anesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained at end-tidal isoflurane concentration of 1.28% (1 minimum alveolar concentration) for 30 minutes. Hemodynamic variables were recorded at predetermined times. The experiment was repeated 48 hours later with the alternate premedication. Results were analyzed by repeated-measures ANOVA with a mixed-models procedure. RESULTS: Bradycardia, hypertension, and significant cardiac output (CO) reduction developed after dexmedetomidine premedication but improved during isoflurane anesthesia. Hypotension developed after acepromazine administration and persisted throughout the isoflurane maintenance period, but CO was maintained throughout the anesthetic period when dogs received this treatment. Oxygen delivery and consumption were not different between treatments at most time points, whereas arterial oxygen content was lower with acepromazine premedication owing to lower PCV during isoflurane anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Acepromazine exacerbated hypotension, but CO did not change in dogs anesthetized with propofol and isoflurane. Dexmedetomidine reduced CO but prevented propofol-isoflurane-induced hypotension. In general, oxygen-carrying capacity and PCV were higher in dexmedetomidine-treated than in acepromazine-treated dogs anesthetized with propofol and isoflurane.