Effect of general anesthesia and minor surgical trauma on urine and serum measurements in horses.
Abstract: To characterize the effect of general anesthesia and minor surgery on renal function in horses. Methods: 9 mares with a mean (+/- SE) age and body weight of 9+/-2 years and 492+/-17 kg, respectively. Methods: The day before anesthesia, urine was collected (catheterization) for 3 hours to quantitate baseline values, and serum biochemical analysis was performed. The following day, xylazine (1.1 mg/kg, IV) was administered, and general anesthesia was induced 5 minutes later with diazepam (0.04 mg/kg, IV) and ketamine (2.2 mg/kg, IV). During 2 hours of anesthesia with isoflurane, Paco2 was maintained between 48 and 52 mm Hg, and mean arterial blood pressure was between 70 and 80 mm Hg. Blood and urine were collected at 30, 60, and 120 minutes during and at 1 hour after anesthesia. Results: Baseline urine flow was 0.92+/-0.17 ml/kg/h and significantly increased at 30 and 60 minutes after xylazine administration (2.14+/-0.59 and 2.86+/-0.97 ml/kg/h respectively) but returned to baseline values by the end of anesthesia. Serum glucose concentration increased from 12+/-4 to 167+/-8 mg/dl at 30 minutes. Glucosuria was not observed. Conclusions: Transient hyperglycemia and an increase in rine production accompanies a commonly used anesthetic technique for horses. The increase in urine flow is not trivial and should be considered in anesthetic management decisions. With the exception of serum glucose concentration and urine production, the effect of general anesthesia on indices of renal function in clinically normal horses is likely of little consequence in most horses admitted for elective surgical procedures.
Publication Date: 2002-07-18 PubMed ID: 12118669DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.2002.63.1061Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research investigates the effects of general anesthesia and minor surgery on kidney function in horses, revealing that the procedure can cause temporary high blood sugar and increased urine production.
Introduction and Methodology
- The study is focused on understanding the impact of general anesthesia and minor surgery on renal (kidney) function in horses. It involved nine female horses that were aged 9 years old and weighed around 492 kg on average.
- The researchers collected urine samples from the horses the day before they were due to be put under general anesthesia. These served as the baseline figures for the analysis. The blood of the horses was also examined biochemically.
- The following day, the horses were injected with Xylazine, a sedative, and a few minutes later were given Diazeoam and Ketamine to induce general anesthesia. The horses remained anesthetized for two hours with isoflurane gas. Throughout this period, blood carbon dioxide levels and mean arterial blood pressure were kept within specific ranges.
- Blood and urine samples were collected at specific intervals during the anesthesia, as well as an hour after the procedure.
Findings
- The research revealed that upon administration of Xylazine, urine flow rose significantly within half and one hour, but it returned to baseline at the end of the anesthesia.
- It also observed an increase in serum glucose concentration 30 minutes after anesthesia, moving from 12mg/dl to 167mg/dl. However, no glucose was found in the urine samples during this time, meaning glucosuria, a condition where glucose is excreted in the urine, wasn’t present.
Conclusion
- The research concluded that a commonly used anesthetic technique in horses causes a temporary increase in blood sugar levels and frequency of urine flow. This increased urine flow rate should be taken into account in anesthetic management decisions.
- Except for these two aspects, the study stated that the impact of general anesthesia on renal function in clinically healthy horses is probably not significant for most horses undergoing elective surgical procedures.
Cite This Article
APA
Watson ZE, Steffey EP, VanHoogmoed LM, Snyder JR.
(2002).
Effect of general anesthesia and minor surgical trauma on urine and serum measurements in horses.
Am J Vet Res, 63(7), 1061-1065.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.2002.63.1061 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / pharmacology
- Anesthesia, General / veterinary
- Anesthetics, Inhalation / pharmacology
- Anesthetics, Intravenous / pharmacology
- Animals
- Blood Chemical Analysis / veterinary
- Blood Glucose / drug effects
- Blood Pressure / drug effects
- Diazepam / pharmacology
- Female
- Horses / blood
- Horses / surgery
- Horses / urine
- Isoflurane / pharmacology
- Kidney / metabolism
- Minor Surgical Procedures / veterinary
- Urinalysis / veterinary
- Xylazine / pharmacology
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Quinn CT. Incidence of complications from perioperative urinary catheterisation in horses. Aust Vet J 2025 Jun;103(6):319-321.
- Murahata Y, Miki Y, Hikasa Y. Antagonistic effects of atipamezole, yohimbine, and prazosin on xylazine-induced diuresis in clinically normal cats. Can J Vet Res 2014 Oct;78(4):304-15.
- Edner AH, Nyman GC, Essén-Gustavsson B. Metabolism before, during and after anaesthesia in colic and healthy horses. Acta Vet Scand 2007 Nov 15;49(1):34.
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