Comparison between the effects of postanesthetic xylazine and dexmedetomidine on characteristics of recovery from sevoflurane anesthesia in horses.
Abstract: To compare postanesthetic xylazine and dexmedetomidine on recovery characteristics from sevoflurane anesthesia in horses. Methods: Randomized, crossover study. Methods: 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) or dexmedetomidine (0.875 μg kg) 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: 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.
Copyright © 2017 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2017-01-11 PubMed ID: 28258815DOI: 10.1016/j.vaa.2016.04.002Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
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This study explores the comparison between the effects of two drugs, xylazine and dexmedetomidine, on recovery characteristics in horses after sevoflurane anesthesia. The results indicate no significant difference between the two treatment options.
Research Design and Methodology
- This was a randomized, crossover study involving six adult male horses (geldings) with an average age of 17 years.
- The horses underwent a standardized sevoflurane anesthetic for a regional limb perfusion study.
- During recovery, the horses were given either xylazine or dexmedetomidine administered intravenously.
- The recoveries were unassisted and recorded on video for later evaluation by two researchers. These researchers were blind to the type of drug administered.
Recovery Quality Assessment
- The quality of recovery was gauged using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Edinburgh Scoring System (ESS).
- The VAS ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates poor recovery and 100 excellent recovery.
- The ESS also uses a 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating better recovery.
- An additional parameter, the Mean Attempt Interval (MAI) was used – a longer MI indicates a better recovery.
Results and Conclusion
- All recovery quality assessments did not show significant differences between the xylazine and dexmedetomidine.
- Key recovery events such as first limb movement, first attempt to lift the head, first attempt to stand, and time to standing were similar for both drugs.
- The number of times a horse banged its head (a negative recovery behaviour) was also similar between the two treatments.
- Therefore, the study concludes that there were no significant differences in recovery characteristics between horses treated with post-anesthetic xylazine and dexmedetomidine after sevoflurane anesthesia.
- The authors suggest further study involving more horses, as well as younger horses, to confirm these results
Cite This Article
APA
Guedes AGP, Tearney CC, Cenani A, Aristizabal F, Nieto J.
(2017).
Comparison between the effects of postanesthetic xylazine and dexmedetomidine on characteristics of recovery from sevoflurane anesthesia in horses.
Vet Anaesth Analg, 44(2), 273-280.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaa.2016.04.002 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, MN, USA. Electronic address: g03@umn.edu.
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Anesthesia / methods
- Anesthesia / veterinary
- Anesthesia Recovery Period
- Anesthetics, Inhalation
- Animals
- Cross-Over Studies
- Dexmedetomidine / pharmacology
- Horses
- Isoflurane
- Male
- Methyl Ethers
- Sevoflurane
- Xylazine / pharmacology
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Gozalo-Marcilla M, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Johnston M, Taylor PM, Redondo JI. Data Collection for the Fourth Multicentre Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities (CEPEF4) Study: New Technology and Preliminary Results. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 30;11(9).
- Gozalo-Marcilla M, Ringer SK. Recovery after General Anaesthesia in Adult Horses: A Structured Summary of the Literature. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 14;11(6).
- Joseph EJ, Love L, Mayakis M, Varner K. Preanesthetic Administration of Trazodone Does Not Impact Anesthetic Recovery Scores in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2025 Oct 6;15(19).
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