Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Does hydromorphone with acepromazine or dexmedetomidine cause reflux
By Costa, Renata S et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2021·From the Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trial to assess gastroesophageal reflux and regurgitation in dogs undergoing general anesthesia after hydromorphone premedication with or without acepromazine or dexmedetomidine.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 39 healthy dogs undergoing orthopedic surgery were given different combinations of medications before anesthesia to see how it affected gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and regurgitation. The dogs that received hydromorphone alone had a higher rate of GER compared to those that also received dexmedetomidine, which significantly reduced the incidence of GER. In total, 41% of the dogs experienced GER, with the lowest occurrence in the group that received both hydromorphone and dexmedetomidine. This suggests that using dexmedetomidine with hydromorphone may be a better option for preventing GER in dogs during surgery.
People also search for: dog gastroesophageal reflux treatment · dog surgery anesthesia medications · why is my dog regurgitating after surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether premedication with hydromorphone alone or combined with acepromazine or dexmedetomidine affects the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and regurgitation in dogs undergoing general anesthesia for elective orthopedic surgery. ANIMALS: 39 healthy client-owned dogs undergoing general anesthesia for elective orthopedic surgery between November 2016 and November 2018. PROCEDURES: For this prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded clinical trial, dogs were randomly assigned to be premedicated with hydromorphone (0.1 mg/kg, IM) alone (group H [control group]) or with either acepromazine (0.05 mg/kg, IM; group AH) or dexmedetomidine (6 μg/kg, IM; group DH) before undergoing general anesthesia induced with propofol and maintained with isoflurane. A pH sensor-tipped probe was used to identify episodes of GER (esophageal pH < 4 or > 7.5 for ≥ 30 seconds). Results for GER, regurgitation, vomiting, propofol dose, and durations of food withholding and anesthesia were compiled and compared across groups. RESULTS: There were 13 dogs in each group, and no meaningful differences were detected in age, body weight, sex, breed, or durations of anesthesia or food withholding across groups. Overall, 16 of the 39 (41%) dogs developed GER: 9 in group H, 6 in group AH, and 1 in group DH. The incidence of GER was significantly lower for group DH versus group H. Six of the 39 (15%) dogs regurgitated: 4 in group H and 2 in group AH. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The combined use of dexmedetomidine and hydromorphone as premedication may be a better choice to reduce GER in healthy dogs undergoing orthopedic surgery than would the use of hydromorphone with or without acepromazine. Additional research is warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34432514/