Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog had cardiac arrest after epidural lidocaine but recovered fully
By Savvas, Ioannis et al.·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia·2006·Clinic of Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest associated with extradural lidocaine in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with a complete urethral blockage was given extradural lidocaine for anesthesia during surgery but went into cardiac arrest shortly after the injection. The veterinary team quickly resuscitated the dog, but cardiac arrest happened again about 20 minutes later, and they successfully revived it once more. The dog was kept cool for several hours and, thankfully, made a full recovery by the next day with no lasting neurological issues. This case highlights the risks associated with using lidocaine and the importance of careful monitoring during procedures.
People also search for: dog cardiac arrest after anesthesia · lidocaine side effects in dogs · urethral obstruction surgery dog recovery
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Extradural lidocaine exerts several adverse effects which are seldom fatal. While cardiac arrest following extradural lidocaine injection has been reported in human beings, it has not hitherto been reported in dogs. OBSERVATIONS: The emergency management of a dog with complete urethral obstruction is described. We intended to perform vaginoscopy and cystostomy under extradural lidocaine anaesthesia, but cardiac asystole occurred a few minutes after injection. Resuscitation was successful. About 20 minutes later cardiac arrest recurred, and was treated successfully. The dog remained hypothermic for approximately 7 hours. Complete recovery without neurological deficit occurred the next day and the dog remained normal for at least 3 months. The probable cause of the problem was cranial lidocaine dispersion causing a drop in cardiac preload and cardiac arrest. The successful neurological outcome was attributed to early diagnosis and effective treatment. Hypothermia may have conferred cerebral protection during ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: Extradural local anaesthetic administration is not without risk and the technique should be tailored to individual animals. Constant monitoring is required to detect potentially fatal complications and increase the likelihood of successful outcome.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16634943/