Comparison of preoperative tramadol and pethidine on postoperative pain in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy

Abstract

BackgroundA variety of analgesic agents are available, and which one can be used in dogs and cats is a highly controversial issue, existing however a fear in the use of opiates due to possible adverse effects that these drugs can cause. The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic effect provided by the administration of tramadol or pethidine on early postoperative pain of cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy in a double-blind prospective study. Fourty-two animals were randomly assigned into three groups. Pet received pethidine (6 mg/kg), Tra 2 received tramadol (2 mg/kg) and Tra 4 received tramadol (4 mg/kg); all intramuscularly and associated with acepromazine (0.1 mg/kg). The efficacy of each analgesic regimen was evaluated prior to surgery (baseline - TBL), during surgery and 1, 3 and 6 hours after extubation with subjective pain scale, physiologic parameters, serum concentrations of glucose, cortisol and IL-6.ResultsChanges in cardiovascular system were not clinically relevant. There were no significant differences in pain scores (P > 0.05) during the study, although the number of rescue analgesia was significantly higher (P < 0.05) at Pet group (5/14) than Tra 4 group (0/14), whereas in Tra 2, two animals (2/14) required additional analgesia. The serum cortisol values of Pet group were significantly higher at T1h T3h (P < 0.05) and T6h (P < 0.01) when compared to baseline (induction), also it was noticed a significant difference among the groups at T6h (Pet values were higher than Tra 2 and Tra 4; P < 0.05).ConclusionsTramadol provided adequate analgesia and it was more effective than pethidine to at least six hours for the studied animals. At the higher dose (4 mg/kg) tramadol is probably more effective, since rescue analgesia was not necessary. No significant changes were observed physiological parameter that could contraindicate the use of these opioid in described doses, for the feline species.

Comparison of perioperative analgesia using the infiltration of the surgical site with ropivacaine alone and in combination with meloxicam in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy

“…When considering postoperative analgesic supplementation, few cats (6 out of 45 cats) required rescue analgesia. In the S group, rescue analgesia was given in 4 cats (27%), which is in agreement with previous studies that reported a prevalence of rescue analgesia between 13 and 50% after ovariohysterectomy in cats treated preoperatively with an opioid alone or combined with meloxicam [4,24]. Although the frequency of recue analgesia did not differ among treatments, only one cat in each R and RM groups required supplemental analgesics, indicating that both protocols of local analgesia provided was some analgesic benefit when compared to saline controls.…”

Tramadol Metabolism toO-Desmethyl Tramadol (M1) andN-Desmethyl Tramadol (M2) by Dog Liver Microsomes: Species Comparison and Identification of Responsible Canine Cytochrome P450s

“…Tramadol is also commonly used to treat pain in cats. In contrast with dogs, studies in cats (although fewer) have consistently demonstrated efficacy (Pypendop et al, 2009;Evangelista et al, 2014), which may be a consequence of the relatively high circulating M1 concentrations reported in cats after tramadol administration (Pypendop et al, 2009;Cagnardi et al, 2011).…”

Recognition and behavioral assessment of acute pain in cats: literature review

“…Previous studies reported an increase in cortisol levels compared to baseline preoperative values (MÖLLENHOFF et al, 2005) and in cats with higher pain scores and requiring rescue analgesia (EVANGELISTA et al, 2014). However, in another study differences in physiological parameters including cortisol and β-endorphins were not observed between cats that had undergone surgery and control cats (that had not) (CAMBRIDGE et al, 2000).…”