Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bromelain does not reduce pain or swelling after spay surgery in cats
By Ribeiro, Matheus R et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2023·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bromelain does not provide significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory benefits over placebo in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 30 cats undergoing spay surgery (ovariohysterectomy) were given either a bromelain supplement or a placebo to see if it would help with pain and inflammation after the procedure. The results showed that there was no significant difference in pain relief or inflammation between the two groups, although the cats that received bromelain did recover slightly faster and had lower sedation scores right after waking up. Ultimately, bromelain did not prove to be more effective than the placebo for managing pain in these cats.
People also search for: cat spay surgery recovery · bromelain for cat pain · cat pain relief after surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bromelain to control pain and inflammation in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. ANIMALS: 30 client-owned cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. PROCEDURES: In a randomized, blinded clinical study, cats were assigned to receive either oral bromelain suspension (40 mg/kg [18 mg/lb]; BG, n = 15) or placebo solution (0.1 mL/kg [0.045 mL/lb]; PG, 15), which were administered 90 minutes before and 12 hours after surgery. The anesthetic protocol included acepromazine, meperidine, propofol, and isoflurane. Pain and sedation were assessed at various time points up to 24 hours post-extubation using the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale, the Glasgow feline composite measure pain scale, and a descriptive numerical scale. Surgical wound inflammation was measured at the same time points, using a numeric rating scale. Morphine was administered as rescue analgesia. Laboratory data (urea, creatinine, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, the prothrombin time, and the fecal occult blood) were analyzed preoperatively and 24 hours after surgery. RESULTS: Pain/inflammation scores, and analgesic requirements did not differ between groups. Shorter recovery time and lower sedation scores were recorded during the first hour post-extubation in the BG than the PG. Postoperatively, serum creatinine and gamma-glutamyl transferase were lower in the BG compared to PG. Compared to baseline values, all biochemistry variables decreased at 24 hours in the BG. The prothrombin time and fecal occult blood did not differ between groups or over time. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Bromelain did not provide significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory benefits over placebo in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37085147/