Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain relief with dexmedetomidine and lidocaine nerve blocks in dogs
By Acquafredda, Claudia et al.·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia·2021·Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical efficacy of dexmedetomidine combined with lidocaine for femoral and sciatic nerve blocks in dogs undergoing stifle surgery.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 30 dogs undergoing knee surgery received either a local anesthetic (lidocaine) alone or combined with dexmedetomidine, which is a medication that can enhance pain relief. The dogs that received the combination treatment experienced longer-lasting numbness and pain relief after surgery compared to those that only received lidocaine. While all dogs were able to walk again after surgery, those treated with the combination needed less additional pain medication later on. This suggests that using dexmedetomidine with lidocaine can be beneficial for pain management in dogs after surgery.
People also search for: dog knee surgery pain relief · lidocaine dexmedetomidine for dogs · post-surgery pain management for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine administered perineurally or intramuscularly (IM) on sensory, motor function and postoperative analgesia produced by lidocaine for sciatic and femoral nerve blocks in dogs undergoing unilateral tibial tuberosity advancement surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, blinded, clinical study. ANIMALS: A group of 30 dogs. METHODS: Dogs were anaesthetized with acepromazine, propofol and isoflurane in oxygen/air. Electrolocation-guided femoral and sciatic nerve blocks were performed: group L, 0.15 mL kg2% lidocaine (n = 10); group LD, lidocaine and 0.15 μg kgdexmedetomidine perineurally (n = 10); group LD, lidocaine and 0.3 μg kgdexmedetomidine IM (n = 10). After anaesthesia, sensory blockade was evaluated by response to forceps pinch on skin innervated by the saphenous/femoral, common fibular and tibial nerves. Motor blockade was evaluated by observing the ability to walk and proprioception. Analgesia was monitored with Short Form of Glasgow Composite Pain Scale for up to 4 hours after extubation. Methadone IM was administered as rescue analgesia. Data were analysed by linear mixed effect models and Kaplan-Meier test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Median duration of the sensory blockade for all nerves was longer (p < 0.001) for group LDthan for groups L and LDand was longer (p = 0.0011) for group LDthan for group L. Proprioception returned later (p < 0.001) for group LD[285 (221-328) minutes] compared with group L [160 (134-179) minutes] or LD[195 (162-257) minutes]. Return of the ability to walk was similar among all groups. Dogs in group LDrequired postoperative rescue analgesia later (p = 0.001) than dogs in groups LDand L. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dexmedetomidine administered perineurally with lidocaine prolonged sensory blockade and analgesia during the immediate postoperative period. Systemic dexmedetomidine also prolonged the sensory blockade of perineural lidocaine.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34607765/