Efficacy and duration of effect for liposomal bupivacaine when administered perineurally to the palmar digital nerves of horses.

The research article is about the testing of the effectiveness and longevity of the impact of liposomal bupivacaine when administered perineurally to the palmar digital nerves of horses.

Research Methodology

• The sample of the study consisted of nine non-lame mares.
• The team performed the administration of 2 mL of liposomal bupivacaine or sterile saline solution adjacent to the medial and lateral palmar digital nerves at the level of the proximal sesamoid bones of a randomly chosen forelimb.
• The same procedure was done on the contralateral forelimb 21 days later with the treatment not used during the first round.
• They used a digital algometer to measure the mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) before and at predetermined times for 48 hours after injection of each treatment.
• The team then compared the mean MNT between the two treatments at each measurement time.

Research Outcomes

• The results showed that the mean MNT for the limbs treated with liposomal bupivacaine was significantly greater – meaning the limbs were less sensitive than those treated with the saline solution from 30 minutes up until 4 hours after the treatment injection.
• Post the administration of liposomal bupivacaine, one of the horses developed mild swelling at the injection sites that resolved itself without treatment within a day. No other side effects were observed.
• Conclusively, the research suggests that liposomal bupivacaine could be an alternative for perineural anesthesia in horses.

Further Research

• More research is recommended in order to determine the optimal dose and to better understand the duration of effect for the drug when used for palmar digital nerve blocks in horses.