Physiological and Clinical Responses in Pigs in Relation to Plasma Concentrations during Anesthesia with Dexmedetomidine, Tiletamine, Zolazepam, and Butorphanol

Abstract

Reliable protocols for short-term anesthetics are essential to safeguard animal welfare during medical investigations. The aim of the study was to assess the adequacy and reliability of an anesthetic protocol and to evaluate physiological and clinical responses, in relation to the drug plasma concentrations, for pigs undergoing short-term anesthesia. A second aim was to see whether an intravenous dosage could prolong the anesthesia. The anesthesia was induced by an intramuscular injection of dexmedetomidine, tiletamine zolazepam, and butorphanol in 12 pigs. In six of the pigs, a repeated injection intravenously of one-third of the initial dose was given after one hour. The physiological and clinical effects from induction to recovery were examined. Plasma concentrations of the drugs were analyzed and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Each drug’s absorption and time to maximal concentration were rapid. All pigs were able to maintain spontaneous respiration. The route of administration did not alter the half-life of the drug. The results suggest that intramuscular administration of the four-drug combination provides up to two hours of anesthesia with stable physiological parameters and an acceptable level of analgesia while maintaining spontaneous respiration. A repeated intravenous injection may be used to extend the time of anesthesia by 30 min.

Clean-catching urine from pigs: A method for collecting quality specimens for urinalysis and microbiological culturing in a laboratory environment

“…[9][10][11][12] Although well-established protocols for shortterm anaesthesia exist, they often involve various combinations of opioids, benzodiazepines and alpha-2-agonists, which are associated with adverse effects such as obstipation, nausea, extended recovery, drug interactions or unwanted alterations in the animal's physiology that can interfere with the outcome of the study. [13][14][15] Therefore, the need for anaesthesia is a major limitation as it is not only stressful for the animal and increases procedural costs, but also limits the frequency of which urine specimens can be collected as daily anaesthesia for many days in a row is undesirable due to the concern for the animal's welfare. To avoid anaesthesia, we explored the approach of cleancatching midstream urine specimens from pigs, a sampling method which is similar to the one used in humans.…”

Establishment and validation of intravenous anesthesia with dexmedetomidine for pigs under assisted spontaneous breathing: A preclinical model of intensive care conditions

“…for transport or non-surgical interventions. Authors reported that hemodynamic variables were stable and breathing patterns were regular [ 15 , 16 ]. This is in accordance with the results presented here.…”

Correction: Rydén et al. Physiological and Clinical Responses in Pigs in Relation to Plasma Concentrations during Anesthesia with Dexmedetomidine, Tiletamine, Zolazepam, and Butorphanol. Animals 2021, 11, 1482

“…There were several errors in the original article [ 1 ]: In the sixth line of the abstract, instead of “The anesthesia was induced by an intramuscular injection of dexmedetomidine, tiletamine zolazepam, and butorphanol in 12 pigs”. It should be “The anesthesia was induced by an intramuscular injection of dexmedetomidine, tiletamine-zolazepam, and butorphanol in 12 pigs”.…”