Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Effects of morphine, medetomidine, and ketamine anesthesia in cats
By Wiese, Ashley J & Muir, William W·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2007·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Anaesthetic and cardiopulmonary effects of intramuscular morphine, medetomidine and ketamine administered to telemetered cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Six healthy adult female cats were given a combination of morphine, medetomidine, and ketamine for anesthesia during a procedure. The cats were monitored for their heart and breathing rates, and while most showed good anesthesia with minimal side effects, one cat experienced low blood pressure. The anesthesia lasted for at least two hours, and all but one cat responded well to a reversal drug that helped them wake up safely. Overall, this combination provided effective pain relief and anesthesia with few complications.
People also search for: cat anesthesia side effects · morphine for cats · how long does cat anesthesia last
Abstract
The quality and duration of anaesthesia, cardiorespiratory effects and recovery characteristics of a morphine, medetomidine, ketamine (MMK) drug combination were determined in cats. Six healthy, adult female cats were administered 0.2 mg/kg morphine sulphate, 60 microg/kg medetomidine hydrochloride, and 5 mg/kg ketamine hydrochloride intramuscularly. Atipamezole was administered intramuscularly at 120 min after MMK administration. Time to lateral recumbency, intubation, extubation and sternal recumbency were recorded. Cardiorespiratory variables and response to a noxious stimulus were recorded before and at 3 min and 10 min increments after drug administration until sternal recumbency. The time to lateral recumbency and intubation were 1.9+/-1.2 and 4.3+/-1.2 min, respectively. Body temperature and haemoglobin saturation with oxygen remained unchanged compared to baseline values throughout anaesthesia. Respiratory rate, tidal volume, minute volume, heart rate, and blood pressure were significantly decreased during anaesthesia compared to baseline values. One cat met criteria for hypotension (systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg). End tidal carbon dioxide increased during anaesthesia compared to baseline values. All but one cat remained non-responsive to noxious stimuli from 3 to 120 min. Time to extubation and sternal recumbency following atipamezole were 2.9+/-1.1 and 4.7+/-1.0 min, respectively. MMK drug combination produced excellent short-term anaesthesia and analgesia with minimal cardiopulmonary depression. Anaesthesia lasted for at least 120 min in all but one cat and was effectively reversed by atipamezole.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17198759/