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Equine echocardiography: Can dobutamine infusion correct alterations due to sedation with alpha-2 agonists?
Abstract: For the echocardiographic examination horses should not be sedated unless absolutely necessary because this alters cardiac dimensions and indices of function. However, some horses do not tolerate the echocardiographic procedure and require sedation to conduct the examination safely and obtain good quality images. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the concurrent infusion of dobutamine in horses sedated with romifidine counteracts the cardiovascular changes observed with sedation alone. Twelve healthy untrained Standardbred mares were used. Three echocardiographic examinations were performed on the same day for each subject: a) without any treatment under resting conditions (WT); b) under sedation with romifidine administered intravenously (RT); c) under sedation with romifidine and concurrent intravenous infusion with dobutamine (RDT). A three-hour washout period was observed between each examination and the order of the examinations was randomly decided by rolling a dice. The measurements on the images recorded were performed offline at the end of the study protocol and at this point the operator was blinded to the horse and treatment administered. Left ventricular internal diameter (LVID) in diastole, left ventricular free wall (LVFW) in systole, and fractional shortening (FS) were higher in the WT group compared with the other two groups. No differences in the other M-mode and B-mode values were observed. A continuous rate infusion of dobutamine did not counteract the alterations caused by sedation and led to similar echocardiographic measurements to those obtained after romifidine administration.
Publication Date: 2022-10-18 PubMed ID: 36256667PubMed Central: PMC9578622DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276256Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research focuses on the impact of sedation on horses during echocardiographic examinations and if using dobutamine can counteract these effects. The researchers aimed to note if dobutamine infusion can neutralize the cardiovascular changes observed when horses sedated with romifidine undergo echocardiographic exams.
Research Methodology
The research engaged twelve healthy Standardbred mares that weren’t previously trained. Each mare underwent three types of echocardiographic examinations in a day. These are:
- Examination without any treatment under normal resting conditions, labeled as WT.
- Examination under sedation using intravenously administered romifidine, termed RT.
- Examination under sedation with romifidine and a concurrent intravenous infusion with dobutamine, marked as RDT.
A three-hour washout period was maintained between each examination and the order of these examinations occured randomly through the roll of a dice.
Procedure & Results
The recorded images from the examinations were measured offline at the end of the study. At this point, the operator was blinded to the treatment given and the horse under observation. Measurements were taken for:
- Left ventricular internal diameter (LVID) in diastole
- Left ventricular free wall (LVFW) in systole
- Fractional shortening (FS)
The researchers found that the measurements for LVID, LVFW, and FS were higher in the WT group compared to the other two. However, no significant differences were observed in the other M-mode and B-mode measurements.
Conclusion
The research team concluded that a continuous infusion of dobutamine was unsuccessful in counteracting the changes caused by sedation. The echocardiographic measurements after using dobutamine were found to be similar to those obtained just after the administration of romifidine. Therefore, the study suggests that dobutamine may not be effective in counteracting the cardiovascular changes brought on by sedation involving alpha-2 agonists.
Cite This Article
APA
Vitale V, Vezzosi T, Di Franco C, Briganti A, Tognetti R, Conte G, Bucchioni E, Sgorbini M.
(2022).
Equine echocardiography: Can dobutamine infusion correct alterations due to sedation with alpha-2 agonists?
PLoS One, 17(10), e0276256.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276256 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences, Pisa, Italy.
- Private Practitioner, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy.
MeSH Terms
- Horses
- Animals
- Female
- Dobutamine / pharmacology
- Echocardiography
- Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists
- Heart
- Heart Ventricles
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Puangsubsin P, Isawirodom A, Rungsri P, Satumay N, Laikul A, Cherdchutham W. Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function in mules under general anesthesia induced with a high-dose xylazine-based protocol. Vet World 2025 Jul;18(7):1936-1943.
- Vitale V, Velloso Álvarez A, de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Neira-Egea P, Vandecandelaere M, Tee E, Gimeno M, van Galen G. Can Acute Neurological Disease Cause Cardiomyopathy in Horses?. Animals (Basel) 2025 May 16;15(10).
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