Evaluation of a romifidine constant rate infusion protocol with or without butorphanol for dentistry and ophthalmologic procedures in standing horses.
Abstract: To compare the clinical usefulness of constant rate infusion (CRI) protocols of romifidine with or without butorphanol for sedation of horses. Methods: Prospective 'blinded' controlled trial using block randomization. Methods: Forty healthy Freiberger stallions. Methods: The horses received either intravenous (IV) romifidine (loading dose: 80 μg kg(-1) ; infusion: 30 μg kg(-1) hour(-1) ) (treatment R, n = 20) or romifidine combined with butorphanol (romifidine loading: 80 μg kg(-1) ; infusion: 29 μg kg(-1) hour(-1) , and butorphanol loading: 18 μg kg(-1) ; infusion: 25 μg kg(-1) hour(-1) ) (treatment RB, n = 20). Twenty-one horses underwent dentistry and ophthalmic procedures, while 19 horses underwent only ophthalmologic procedure and buccal examination. During the procedure, physiologic parameters and occurrence of head/muzzle shaking or twitching and forward movement were recorded. Whenever sedation was insufficient, additional romifidine (20 μg kg(-1) ) was administered IV. Recovery time was evaluated by assessing head height above ground. At the end of the procedure, overall quality of sedation for the procedure was scored by the dentist and anaesthetist using a visual analogue scale. Statistical analyses used two-way anova or linear mixed models as relevant. Results: Sedation quality scores as assessed by the anaesthetist were R: median 7.55, range: 4.9-9.0 cm, RB: 8.8, 4.7-10.0 cm, and by the dentist R: 6.6, 3.0-8.2 cm, RB: 7.9, 6.6-8.8 cm. Horses receiving RB showed clinically more effective sedation as demonstrated by fewer poor scores and a tendency to reduced additional drug requirements. More horses showed forward movement and head shaking in treatment RB than treatment R. Three horses (two RB, one R) had symptoms of colic following sedation. Conclusions: The described protocols provide effective sedation under clinical conditions but for dentistry procedures, the addition of butorphanol is advantageous.
© 2014 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.
Publication Date: 2014-05-17 PubMed ID: 24835127DOI: 10.1111/vaa.12174Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research conducted a controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of sedation in horses undergoing dentistry and ophthalmologic procedures, when sedated using a constant infusion of romifidine alone or a combination of romifidine and butorphanol. The results indicate that while both methods provide effective sedation, using butorphanol in addition to romifidine presents an advantage for dental procedures in horses.
Methods and Experiment Design
- The study involved forty healthy Freiberger stallions categorized into two groups. Each group received a different treatment. Romifidine treatment for the first group (Treatment R) and romifidine combined with butorphanol for the second group (Treatment RB).
- The horses either underwent dental and eye operations or only eye procedures and mouth examinations. The researchers recorded physical parameters, as well as any instances of head/muzzle shaking, twitching, and forward movement during the procedure.
- If the sedation was inadequate, the researchers provided an additional romifidine dosage via an intravenous injection.
- After completing the operations, the dentist and anaesthetist each provided a score for the overall quality of sedation given during the procedure.
Results
- The researchers recorded the quality of sedation using scores from the dentist and anaesthetist. The average sedation quality scores were higher in the cases where both romifidine and butorphanol were used, indicating more effective sedation.
- The frequency of poor scores and the need for additional drug dosage were seen to be considerably less with the combination treatment.
- However, more horses demonstrated forward movement and head shaking actions with combination treatment (Treatment RB) than with Treatment R.
- Three horses, two from RB and one from R, showed signs of colic, discomfort in the abdominal region, after sedation.
Conclusion
- The research concludes that both the protocols provide effective sedation under clinical conditions. However, the addition of butorphanol to romifidine is more beneficial for dentistry procedures in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Marly C, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Nussbaumer P, Moine S, Ringer SK.
(2014).
Evaluation of a romifidine constant rate infusion protocol with or without butorphanol for dentistry and ophthalmologic procedures in standing horses.
Vet Anaesth Analg, 41(5), 491-497.
https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12174 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Section of Anesthesiology, Equine Department, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
MeSH Terms
- Anesthesia Recovery Period
- Anesthesia, Intravenous / veterinary
- Anesthetics / administration & dosage
- Animals
- Butorphanol / administration & dosage
- Dentistry / veterinary
- Drug Administration Schedule / veterinary
- Eye Diseases / surgery
- Eye Diseases / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Imidazoles / administration & dosage
- Infusions, Intravenous / veterinary
- Male
- Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / veterinary
- Posture
- Tooth Diseases / surgery
- Tooth Diseases / veterinary
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