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Pharmacokinetics and adverse effects of butorphanol administered by single intravenous injection or continuous intravenous infusion in horses.
Abstract: To determine an infusion rate of butorphanol tartrate in horses that would maintain therapeutic plasma drug concentrations while minimizing development of adverse behavioral and gastrointestinal tract effects. Methods: 10 healthy adult horses. Methods: Plasma butorphanol concentrations were determined by use of high-performance liquid chromatography following administration of butorphanol by single IV injection (0.1 to 0.13 mg/kg of body weight) or continuous IV infusion (loading dose, 17.8 microg/kg; infusion dosage, 23.7 microg/kg/h for 24 hours). Pharmacokinetic variables were calculated, and changes in physical examination data, gastrointestinal tract transit time, and behavior were determined over time. Results: A single IV injection of butorphanol was associated with adverse behavioral and gastrointestinal tract effects including ataxia, decreased borborygmi, and decreased defecation. Elimination half-life of butorphanol was brief (44.37 minutes). Adverse gastrointestinal tract effects were less apparent during continuous 24-hour infusion of butorphanol at a dosage that resulted in a mean plasma concentration of 29 ng/ml, compared with effects after a single IV injection. No adverse behavioral effects were observed during or after continuous infusion. Conclusions: Continuous IV infusion of butorphanol for 24 hours maintained plasma butorphanol concentrations within a range associated with analgesia. Adverse behavioral and gastrointestinal tract effects were minimized during infusion, compared with a single injection of butorphanol. Continuous infusion of butorphanol may be a useful treatment to induce analgesia in horses.
Publication Date: 2001-02-24 PubMed ID: 11212025DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.2001.62.183Google 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.
- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research paper studies the effects and effective dosage rate of the drug butorphanol administered through a continuous intravenous infusion versus a single intravenous injection in horses. The aim is to maintain the necessary plasma drug concentration for pain relief while minimizing undesired behavioral and gastrointestinal side effects.
Methodology
- The researchers conducted the study on ten healthy adult horses.
- The plasma concentrations of the drug butorphanol were measured using a method called high-performance liquid chromatography. This was done after the drug was administered either through a one-time injection or a continuous 24-hour infusion into the horses’ bodies.
- During the study, the researchers calculated pharmacokinetic variables and continuously monitored and recorded changes in physical examination data, gastrointestinal tract transit time, and the behavior of the horses.
Results
- The single intravenous injection of butorphanol led to detrimental behavioral and gastrointestinal side effects. These included ataxia (loss of full control of bodily movements), decreased borborygmi (sounds produced by the movement of gas in the digestive tract), and decreased defecation.
- The elimination half-life of butorphanol (the time taken for the drug concentration in the body to reduce by half) was quite short at around 44.37 minutes.
- The adverse side effects on the gastrointestinal track were lessened during a 24-hour continuous infusion of the drug when compared to a single injection. The dosage used in the infusion resulted in an average plasma concentration of 29 ng/ml. During and after this infusion, no negative behavioural effects were observed.
Conclusion
The findings of this study showed that a continuous intravenous infusion of butorphanol for 24 hours was able to maintain appropriate plasma drug concentrations, providing pain relief for horses. This infusion method also minimized adverse behavior and digestive side effects compared to a single injection of the drug. Therefore, the researchers concluded that using a continuous infusion of butorphanol may be a more effective method of providing analgesia or pain relief in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Sellon DC, Monroe VL, Roberts MC, Papich MG.
(2001).
Pharmacokinetics and adverse effects of butorphanol administered by single intravenous injection or continuous intravenous infusion in horses.
Am J Vet Res, 62(2), 183-189.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.2001.62.183 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Food Animal and Equine Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27606, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Analgesics, Opioid / administration & dosage
- Analgesics, Opioid / adverse effects
- Analgesics, Opioid / pharmacokinetics
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal / drug effects
- Butorphanol / administration & dosage
- Butorphanol / adverse effects
- Butorphanol / pharmacokinetics
- Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
- Cross-Over Studies
- Female
- Gastrointestinal Transit / drug effects
- Half-Life
- Horses / metabolism
- Infusions, Intravenous / veterinary
- Injections, Intravenous / veterinary
- Male
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Ebner L, O O, Simon B, Lizarraga I, Smith J, Cox S. Pharmacokinetics of butorphanol following intravenous and intramuscular administration in donkeys: A preliminary study. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:979794.
- Cock G, Blakeney Z, Hernandez JA, DeNotta S. Opioid-free sedation for atlantoaxial cerebrospinal fluid collection in adult horses. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Sep;36(5):1812-1819.
- Dor E, David T, Dekel Jaoui H, Schwartz A, Baruchi T, Torgeman A, Ben David A, Rosen O, Tal A, Rosner A, Zichel R, Diamant E. A Rabbit Model for Prolonged Continuous Intravenous Infusion Via a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter. Front Pharmacol 2021;12:637792.
- Amon T, Kästner SBR, Kietzmann M, Tünsmeyer J. Plasma levels of a methadone constant rate infusion and their corresponding effects on thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds in dogs. BMC Vet Res 2021 Jan 18;17(1):35.
- Song B, Yang Y, Teng X, Li Y, Bai W, Zhu J. Use of pre-operative anxiety score to determine the precise dose of butorphanol for intra-operative sedation under regional anesthesia: A double-blinded randomized trial. Exp Ther Med 2019 Nov;18(5):3885-3892.
- Du J, Li JW, Jin J, Shi CX, Ma JH. Intraoperative and postoperative infusion of dexmedetomidine combined with intravenous butorphanol patient-controlled analgesia following total hysterectomy under laparoscopy. Exp Ther Med 2018 Nov;16(5):4063-4069.
- Chen F, Xiong H, Yang J, Fang B, Zhu J, Zhou B. Butorphanol and ketamine combined in infusion solutions for patient-controlled analgesia administration: a long-term stability study. Med Sci Monit 2015 Apr 21;21:1138-45.
- Carregaro AB, Freitas GC, Ribeiro MH, Xavier NV, Dória RG. Physiological and analgesic effects of continuous-rate infusion of morphine, butorphanol, tramadol or methadone in horses with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced carpal synovitis. BMC Vet Res 2014 Dec 21;10:966.
- Elfenbein JR, Robertson SA, MacKay RJ, KuKanich B, Sanchez L. Systemic and anti-nociceptive effects of prolonged lidocaine, ketamine, and butorphanol infusions alone and in combination in healthy horses. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S6.
- Xie ZF, Deng BR, Gao Y, Zhang YD, Meng YT, Shen T, Wu QL. Effect of postoperative analgesia with the combination of dexmedetomidine and butorphanol after spinal posterior surgery: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Anesthesiol 2025 Dec 3;26(1):20.
- Interlandi C, Spadola F, Neve VC, Tabbì M, Di Pietro S, Giudice E, Macrì D, Costa GL. Use of butorphanol as a local anaesthetic for pain management in calves undergoing umbilical hernia repair. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1470957.
- Sato S, Yamano Y, Kanno C, Maeda Y, Takahashi F. Cardiopulmonary function, anesthetic effects, quality of arousal, hematology, and blood biochemistry during continuous intravenous infusion of a combination solution of xylazine, butorphanol, and propofol in calves. Vet Res Commun 2024 Aug;48(4):2295-2308.
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