FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
The Veterinary record2021; 189(3); e507; doi: 10.1002/vetr.507

Sevoflurane or isoflurane anaesthesia? A prospective, randomised blinded clinical trial in horses undergoing elective surgery.

Abstract: Isoflurane is the only volatile anaesthetic agent licensed for equine use in the United Kingdom, but sevoflurane is also commonly used. The two agents have rarely been compared for use in clinical elective surgery. Methods: This single centre, prospective, randomised, blinded clinical investigation recruited 101 healthy client owned horses undergoing elective surgery. Anaesthesia was standardised and horses randomly assigned to receive isoflurane (I) or sevoflurane (S) for maintenance of anaesthesia in 100% oxygen. Horses were ventilated to normocapnia and received intravenous fluid therapy and haemodynamic support with dobutamine to maintain mean arterial blood pressure above 60 mm Hg. Recovery was timed and video-recorded to allow offline evaluation by two experienced clinicians unaware of the volatile agent used. No post-anaesthetic sedation was administered. Results: There was no significant difference between groups in terms of haemodynamic support required during anaesthesia nor in quality or duration of recovery. Inotropic support to maintain MAP above 60 mm Hg was required by 67 of 101 (67%) of horses. Five horses in the I group required additional ketamine or thiopentone to improve the plane of anaesthesia. Conclusions: Haemodynamic support needed during anaesthesia as well as the duration and quality of recovery were similar with isoflurane and sevoflurane.
© 2021 The Authors. Veterinary Record published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Veterinary Association.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2021-05-28 PubMed ID: 34047371DOI: 10.1002/vetr.507Google 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.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary

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 study is about a comparative exploration of two volatile anaesthetic agents, sevoflurane and isoflurane, on horses undergoing elective surgery. The conclusion reveals that there were no significant differences in the requirements for haemodynamic support during anaesthesia or in the duration and quality of horses’ recovery using either agent.

Research Methodology

  • The study was a single-centre, prospective, randomised, and blinded clinical trial carried out on 101 healthy horses owned by clients, all of which were subjected to elective surgery.
  • The anaesthesia process was standardized, with the horses being randomly assigned to receive either isoflurane (I) or sevoflurane (S) for maintenance of anaesthesia using 100% oxygen.
  • As part of the anaesthetic procedure, all the horses were ventilated to achieve normocapnia (normal carbon dioxide levels in the blood), received intravenous fluid therapy, and were given haemodynamic support with dobutamine to keep their mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) above 60 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury).
  • The recovery process of the horses were timed and recorded on video. Two experienced clinicians, who were unaware of the specific anaesthetic agent used, later evaluated those recordings.
  • The study did not administer any post-anaesthetic sedation.

Research Findings

  • An analysis of the data collected found no significant differentiation between groups based on the amount of haemodynamic support required during anaesthesia or in the quality or duration of the recovery period.
  • During the course of the study, 67 out of the 101 horses, equating to 67%, required inotropic support (assistance to change the force of heart contractions) to maintain their MAP above 60 mm Hg.
  • In the isoflurane group, five horses needed an additional dose of either ketamine or thiopentone to improve the plane of anaesthesia, indicating a level of inadequacy in the depth of their anaesthesia.

Conclusion

From this study, it can be derived that the haemodynamic support needed during anaesthesia, the duration of the recovery period, and the quality of recovery were similar whether the anaesthetic used was isoflurane or sevoflurane. This equivalence of effectiveness means that the choice between the two anaesthetics can be based on factors outside of their medical efficiency.

Cite This Article

APA
White KL, Hird JFR, Taylor PM. (2021). Sevoflurane or isoflurane anaesthesia? A prospective, randomised blinded clinical trial in horses undergoing elective surgery. Vet Rec, 189(3), e507. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.507

Publication

The Veterinary record
ISSN: 2042-7670
NlmUniqueID: 0031164
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 189
Issue: 3
Pages: e507

Researcher Affiliations

White, Kate L
  • School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, UK.
Hird, John F R
  • Shelf Equine Hospital, Lower Giles Hill Farm, Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK.
Taylor, Polly M
  • Taylor Monroe, Little Downham, Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK.

MeSH Terms

  • Anesthesia / methods
  • Anesthesia / veterinary
  • Anesthesia Recovery Period
  • Anesthetics, Inhalation / therapeutic use
  • Animals
  • Elective Surgical Procedures / veterinary
  • Female
  • Horses / surgery
  • Isoflurane / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sevoflurane / therapeutic use
  • Treatment Outcome
  • United Kingdom

References

This article includes 35 references
  1. Matthews NS, Hartsfield SM, Carroll GL, Martinez EA. Sevoflurane anaesthesia in clinical equine cases: Maintenance and recovery.. Vet Anaesth Analg 1999;26:13-7.
  2. De Benedictis GM, Mathis A, Palacios C. An experimental comparison of the characteristics of recovery from anaesthesia maintained with isoflurane, sevoflurane or desflurane in horses.. Vet Anaesth Analg 2010;37(3):2-3.
  3. Carroll GL, Hooper RN, Rains CB, Martinez EA, Matthews NS, Hartsfield SM. Maintenance of anaesthesia with sevoflurane and oxygen in mechanically-ventilated horses subjected to exploratory laparotomy treated with intra- and post operative anaesthetic adjuncts.. Equine Vet J 1998;30:402-7.
  4. Grosenbaugh DA, Muir W. Cardiorespiratory effects of sevoflurane, isoflurane, and halothane anesthesia in horses.. Am J Vet Res 1998;59:101-6.
  5. Matthews NS, Hartsfield SM, Mercer D, Beleau MH, MacKenthun A. Recovery from sevoflurane anesthesia in horses: comparison to isoflurane and effect of postmedication with xylazine.. Vet Surg 1998;27:480-5.
  6. Aida H, Mizuno Y, Hobo S, Yoshida K, Fujinaga T. Determination of the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) and physical response to sevoflurane inhalation in horses.. J Vet Med Sci 1994;56:1161-5.
  7. Steffey EP, Mama KR, Galey FD, Puschner B, Woliner MJ. Effects of sevoflurane dose and mode of ventilation on cardiopulmonary function and blood biochemical variables in horses.. Am J Vet Res 2005;66:606-14.
  8. Aida H, Mizuno Y, Hobo S, Yoshida K, Fujinaga T. Cardiovascular and pulmonary effects of sevoflurane anesthesia in horses.. Vet Surg 1996;25:164-70.
  9. Hikasa Y, Takase K, Ogasawara S. Sevoflurane and oxygen anaesthesia following administration of atropine-xylazine-guaifenesin-thiopental in spontaneously breathing horses.. J Vet Med Ser A 1994;41:700-08.
  10. Driessen B, Nann L, Benton R, Boston R. Differences in need for hemodynamic support in horses anesthetized with sevoflurane as compared to isoflurane.. Vet Anaesth Analg 2006;33:356-67.
  11. Khan KS, Hayes I, Buggy DJ. Pharmacology of anaesthetic agents II: Inhalation anaesthetic agents.. Contin Educ Anaesth Crit Care Pain 2014;14:106-11.
  12. Leece EA, Corletto F, Brearley JC. A comparison of recovery times and characteristics with sevoflurane and isoflurane anaesthesia in horses undergoing magnetic resonance imaging.. Vet Anaesth Analg 2008;35:383-91.
  13. Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang A-GAG, Buchner A. G ∗ Power 3 : a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences.. Behav Res Methods 2007;39:175-91.
  14. Young S, Taylor P. Factors influencing the outcome of equine anaesthesia: a review of 1,314 cases.. Equine Vet J 1993;25:147-51.
  15. Steffey EP, Howland D, Giri S, Eger EI. Enflurane, halothane, and isoflurane potency in horses.. Am J Vet Res 1977;38:1037-9.
  16. Grandy J, Steffey E, Hodgson D, Woliner MJ. Arterial hypotension and the development of postanesthetic myopathy in halothane-anesthetized horses.. Am J Vet Res 1987;48:192-7.
  17. Duke T, Filzek U, Read MR, Read EK, Ferguson JG. Clinical observations surrounding an increased incidence of postanesthetic myopathy in halothane-anesthetized horses.. Vet Anaesth Analg 2006;33:122-7.
  18. Yamanaka T, Oku K, Koyama H, Mizuno Y. Time-related changes of the cardiovascular system during maintenance anesthesia with sevoflurane and isoflurane in horses.. J Vet Med Sci 2001;63:527-32.
  19. Mosing M, Senior JM. Maintenance of equine anaesthesia over the last 50 years: controlled inhalation of volatile anaesthetics and pulmonary ventilation.. Equine Vet J 2018;50:282-91.
  20. Dugdale AH, Obhrai J, Cripps PJ. Twenty years later: a single-centre, repeat retrospective analysis of equine perioperative mortality and investigation of recovery quality.. Vet Anaesth Analg 2016;43:171-8.
  21. Johnston GM, Steffey E. Confidential enquiry into perioperative equine fatalities (CEPEF).. Vet Surg 1995;24:518-9.
  22. Ragle C, Baetge C, Yiannikouris S, Dunigan C, Schneider R, Keegan R. Development of equine post anaesthetic myelopathy: Thirty cases (1979-2010).. Equine Vet Educ 2011;23:630-5.
  23. Hall LW, Gillespie JR, Tyler WS. Alveolar-arterial oxygen tension differences in anaesthetized horses.. Br J Anaesth 1968;60:560-8.
  24. Steffey EP, Howland D. Cardiovascular effects of halothane in the horse.. Am J Vet Res 1978;39:611-5.
  25. Lees P, Mullen PA, Tavernor WD. Influence of anaesthesia with volatile agents on the equine liver.. Br J Anaesth 1973;45:570-8.
  26. Engelking LR, Dodman NH, Hartman G, Valdez H, Spivak W. Effects of halothane anesthesia on equine liver function.. Am J Vet Res 1984;45:607-15.
  27. Palanca BJA, Avidan MS, Mashour GA. Human neural correlates of sevoflurane-induced unconsciousness.. Br J Anaesth 2017;119:573-82.
  28. Brosnan RJ, Steffey EP, Escobar A. Effects of hypercapnic hyperpnea on recovery from isoflurane or sevoflurane anesthesia in horses.. Vet Anaesth Analg 2012;39:335-44.
  29. Steffey EP, Kelly AB, Farver TB, Woliner MJ. Cardiovascular and respiratory effects of acetylpromazine and xylazine on halothaneanesthetized horses.. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 1985;8:290-302.
  30. Bergadano A, Lauber R, Zbinden A, Schatzmann U, Moens Y. Blood/gas partition coefficients of halothane, isoflurane and sevoflurane in horse blood.. Br J Anaesth 2003;91:276-8.
  31. Steffey EP. Recent advances in inhalation anesthesia.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2002;18:159-68.
  32. Barter LS, Carstens EE, Jinks SL, Antognini JF. Rat dorsal horn nociceptive-specific neurons are more sensitive than wide dynamic range neurons to depression by immobilizing doses of volatile anesthetics: An effect partially reversed by the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone.. Anesth Analg 2009;109:641-7.
  33. Barter LS, Mark LO, Antognini JF. Proprioceptive function is more sensitive than motor function to desflurane anesthesia.. Anesth Analg 2009;108:867-72.
  34. Santos M, Fuente M, Garcia-Iturralde R, Herran R, Lopez-Sanroman J, Tendillo FJ. Effects of alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists during recovery from isoflurane anaesthesia in horses.. Equine Vet J 2003;35:170-5.
  35. Murrell JC, Waters D, Johnson CB. Comparative effects of halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane on the electroencephalogram of the rat.. Lab Anim 2008;42:161-70.

Citations

This article has been cited 0 times.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,911 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.