Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Two dogs stopped heart after fentanyl during anesthesia
By Jang, M et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2015·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Fentanyl-induced asystole in two dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two dogs experienced a serious heart issue called asystole (when the heart stops beating) after receiving a dose of fentanyl, a pain medication, during surgery. Despite premedication with glycopyrrolate, one dog still had a heart rate drop, and both dogs needed emergency treatment. The heart problem was quickly resolved with atropine and chest compressions. This situation highlights that atropine was more effective than glycopyrrolate in treating this specific reaction to fentanyl.
People also search for: dog heart stopped during surgery · fentanyl side effects in dogs · atropine for dog heart problems
Abstract
Fentanyl is used in small animals for perioperative analgesia during anaesthesia. Severe bradycardia and asystole were observed on bolus administration of a 3 µg/kg loading dose of fentanyl in two dogs under isoflurane anaesthesia. Premedication with 10 µg/kg glycopyrrolate did not prevent asystole in the first case; and although bradycardia was treated with 5 µg/kg glycopyrrolate administered intravenously in the second case, the heart rate continuously decreased and asystole subsequently developed. Asystole in both cases was quickly corrected by intravenous administration of 0 · 04 mg/kg atropine and closed chest compressions. This case report describes asystole induced by fentanyl administration in isoflurane anaesthetised dogs. Atropine was more effective than glycopyrrolate in the treatment of fentanyl-induced asystole.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599659/