Detomidine reduces isoflurane anesthetic requirement (MAC) in horses.
Abstract: To quantitate the dose- and time-related magnitude of the anesthetic sparing effect of, and selected physiological responses to detomidine during isoflurane anesthesia in horses. Methods: Randomized cross-over study. Methods: Three, healthy, young adult horses weighing 485 ± 14 kg. Methods: Horses were anesthetized on two occasions to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in O and then to measure the anesthetic sparing effect (time-related MAC reduction) following IV detomidine (0.03 and 0.06 mg kg). Selected common measures of cardiopulmonary function, blood glucose and urinary output were also recorded. Results: Isoflurane MAC was 1.44 ± 0.07% (mean ± SEM). This was reduced by 42.8 ± 5.4% and 44.8 ± 3.0% at 83 ± 23 and 125 ± 36 minutes, respectively, following 0.03 and 0.06 mg kg, detomidine. The MAC reduction was detomidine dose- and time-dependent. There was a tendency for mild cardiovascular and respiratory depression, especially following the higher detomidine dose. Detomidine increased both blood glucose and urine flow; the magnitude of these changes was time- and dose-dependent CONCLUSIONS: Detomidine reduces anesthetic requirement for isoflurane and increases blood glucose concentration and urine flow in horses. These changes were dose- and time-related. Conclusions: The results imply potent anesthetic sparing actions by detomidine. The detomidine-related increased urine flow should be considered in designing anesthetic protocols for individual horses.
Copyright © 2002 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2016-11-15 PubMed ID: 28404367DOI: 10.1046/j.1467-2995.2002.00107.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research confirms that detomidine, a sedative, decreases the amount of isoflurane anesthetic needed for horses, and also leads to an increase in blood glucose levels and urine flow. The effects are found to be related to the dose and timing of the detomidine.
Study Design
- The research conducted was a randomized cross-over study, involving three healthy, young adult horses of average weight around 485 ± 14 kg.
Methodology
- Each horse was anesthetized twice. The initial anesthesia was done to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane, a common anesthetic used in veterinary medicine.
- The second round of anesthesia was done to measure the anesthetic sparing effect post administering detomidine intravenously. Concentrations of 0.03 and 0.06 mg per kg of horse weight were used to measure these effects.
- In addition to anesthesia concentrations, common measures of cardiopulmonary function, blood glucose levels, and urinary output were recorded.
Results
- The study determined that the MAC of isoflurane was 1.44 ± 0.07%.
- Upon administering detomidine, the MAC decreased by nearly half, showing a reduction of 42.8 ± 5.4% and 44.8 ± 3.0% after around 83 ± 23 and 125 ± 36 minutes, respectively.
- This reduction in MAC was found to be dependent on both the dose of detomidine administered and the time elapsed after administration.
- A minor depression in cardiovascular and respiratory function was observed, especially following the higher detomidine dose of 0.06 mg per kg.
- Detomidine caused increases in both blood glucose and urine output in the horses, these changes were also time and dose dependent.
Conclusions
- The study’s results demonstrate that detomidine has potent anesthetic sparing actions, reducing the amount of isoflurane needed to anesthetize horses.
- The researchers suggest taking into consideration the increased urine flow caused by detomidine when designing anesthetic protocols for individual horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Steffey EP, Pascoe PJ.
(2016).
Detomidine reduces isoflurane anesthetic requirement (MAC) in horses.
Vet Anaesth Analg, 29(4), 223-227.
https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1467-2995.2002.00107.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8745, USA. Electronic address: epsteffey@ucdavis.edu.
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8745, USA.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Murillo C, Weng HY, Weil AB, Kreuzer M, Ko JC. Perioperative Brain Function Monitoring with Electroencephalography in Horses Anesthetized with Multimodal Balanced Anesthetic Protocol Subjected to Surgeries. Animals (Basel) 2022 Oct 20;12(20).
- Rabbogliatti V, Amari M, Brioschi FA, Di Cesare F, Zani DD, De Zani D, Di Giancamillo M, Cagnardi P, Ravasio G. Use of dexmedetomidine repeated subcutaneous administration for balanced anaesthesia in horses. BMC Vet Res 2022 Jul 11;18(1):269.
- Niimura Del Barrio MC, David F, Hughes JML, Clifford D, Wilderjans H, Bennett R. A retrospective report (2003-2013) of the complications associated with the use of a one-man (head and tail) rope recovery system in horses following general anaesthesia. Ir Vet J 2018;71:6.
- Muta K, Koizumi M, Miyabe-Nishiwaki T, Sotomaru Y, Nobukiyo A, Ohta H, Okano HJ, Kamata M, Nagakubo D, Nishimura R. Determination of Minimum Alveolar Concentrations of Isoflurane and Effective Plasma Concentration of Propofol in Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). J Med Primatol 2025 Apr;54(2):e70006.
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