Injectable anaesthesia for adult cat and kitten castration: effects of medetomidine, dexmedetomidine and atipamezole on recovery

Bruniges, Natalie ORCID: 0000-0003-2561-3930, Taylor, Polly M and Yates, David (2016) Injectable anaesthesia for adult cat and kitten castration: effects of medetomidine, dexmedetomidine and atipamezole on recovery. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 18 (11). 860 - 867.

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FINAL N Bruniges Injectable anaesthesia for adult cat and kitten castration effects of medetomidine, dexmedetomidine and atipamezole on recovery..docx - Accepted Version
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Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives</jats:title><jats:p> Rapid recovery from injectable anaesthesia benefits cat shelter neutering programmes. The effects of medetomidine, dexmedetomidine and atipamezole on recovery were evaluated in adult cats and kittens (⩽6 months old). </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p> One hundred healthy male cats (age range 2–66 months, weight range 0.7–5.3 kg) admitted forneutering were randomly allocated to groups of 25. Anaesthesia was induced with 60 mg/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> ketamine, 180 µg/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> buprenorphine, 3 mg/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> midazolam and either 600 µg/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> medetomidine (groups M and MA) or 300 µg/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> dexmedetomidine (groups D and DA) intramuscularly (IM). Groups MA and DA also received 1.5 mg/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> atipamezole IM after 40 mins. Preparation time, surgical time, and times to sternal recumbency and standing were recorded. Data were analysed using the Kruskall–Wallis test, unpaired t-tests and ANOVA. Statistical significance was deemed to be P ⩽0.05. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p> Groups did not differ significantly in age, body weight, preparation or surgical time. The time to sternal recumbency in group MA (64 ± 34 mins) was less than in group M (129 ± 32 mins), and in group DA it was less than in group D (54 ± 6 mins vs 110 ± 27 mins) ( P <0.001). There were no differences in duration of recovery to sternal recumbency between groups M and D or MA and DA. The time to standing in group MA (79 ± 51 mins) was less than in group M (150 ± 38 mins) ( P <0.001), and in group DA it was less than in group D (70 ± 22 mins vs 126 ± 27 mins) ( P <0.01). Time to standing in group D (126 ± 27 mins) was less than in group M (150 ± 38 mins) (P <0.05). Time to standing in groups DA and MA were not different. Kittens recovered faster than adults after atipamezole. Minimal adverse effects were seen. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions and relevance</jats:title><jats:p> Atipamezole reliably reduced recovery time after anaesthesia incorporating either dexmedetomidine or medetomidine; however, the choice of dexmedetomidine or medetomidine had little effect. Recovery was faster in kittens. </jats:p></jats:sec>

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	07 Oct 2021 08:51
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2021 00:11
DOI:	10.1177/1098612x15598550
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3139508