Comparison between the effects of postanesthetic xylazine and dexmedetomidine on characteristics of recovery from sevoflurane anesthesia in horses

Alonso G.P. Guedes, Caitlin C. Tearney, Alessia Cenani, Fabio Aristizabal, Jorge Nieto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective To compare postanesthetic xylazine and dexmedetomidine on recovery characteristics from sevoflurane anesthesia in horses. Study design Randomized, crossover study. Animals Six geldings, mean ± standard deviation (SD) (range), 17 ± 4 (11–24) years and 527 ± 80 (420–660) kg. Methods Horses were anesthetized with sevoflurane for 60 minutes under standardized conditions for a regional limb perfusion study. In recovery, horses were administered either xylazine (200 μg kg−1) or dexmedetomidine (0.875 μg kg−1) intravenously. Recoveries were unassisted and were video-recorded for later evaluation of recovery events and quality by two individuals unaware of treatment allocation. Recovery quality was assessed using a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) (0 = poor recovery, 100 = excellent recovery), the Edinburgh Scoring System (ESS) (0–100; 100 = excellent recovery) and the mean attempt interval (MAI) (longer = better). Data are mean ± SD. Results All recovery quality assessments (xylazine and dexmedetomidine, respectively: VAS: 71 ± 21 mm, 84 ± 13 mm; ESS: 65 ± 22, 67 ± 30; MAI: 52 ± 24 minutes, 60 ± 32 minutes) and events (first limb movement: 37 ± 8 minutes, 42 ± 10 minutes; first attempt to lift head: 44 ± 12 minutes, 48 ± 9 minutes; first attempt to sternal posture: 57 ± 28 minutes, 50 ± 7 minutes; number of head bangs: 2.0 ± 3.0, 0.5 ± 0.5; time to first attempt to stand: 72 ± 6 minutes, 78 ± 13 minutes; time to standing: 79 ± 14 minutes, 84 ± 13 minutes) did not differ significantly between treatments (p > 0.05). Conclusions and clinical relevance Recovery characteristics did not differ significantly between postanesthetic xylazine and dexmedetomidine following 1 hour of sevoflurane anesthesia in horses in this study. Further evaluations in more horses and in younger horses are required to confirm these results.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)273-280
Number of pages8
JournalVeterinary anaesthesia and analgesia
Volume44
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2017
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia

Keywords

  • complications
  • inhalation
  • sedation
  • α-adrenergic agonist

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