Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain relief options for cats after neutering surgery
By Cicirelli, Vincenzo et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2022·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The ultrasound-guided funicular block in cats undergoing orchiectomy: ropivacaine injection into the spermatic cord to improve intra and postoperative analgesia.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 60 healthy cats undergoing neuter surgery (orchiectomy) received either a pain-relieving injection (ropivacaine) or a saline solution into their spermatic cord before the procedure. The cats that received the ropivacaine had significantly lower pain levels after surgery compared to those that received the saline. This method of pain management helped keep the cats more comfortable during and after the surgery, reducing the need for additional pain relief. Overall, the ultrasound-guided injection proved effective in managing pain for these cats.
People also search for: cat neuter surgery pain relief · ropivacaine for cats · post-surgery care for cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The orchiectomy in cats is a common surgical procedure with medium level of pain and for this reason requires intra and postoperative analgesia management. The aim of this study was to compare intra and postoperative pain in two groups of cats undergoing orchiectomy. Sixty healthy cats were randomly assigned in two groups (n = 30) to receive pre surgery ropivacaine hydrochloride (0.2 mL/kg at 0.5%) (R Group) or NaCl 0.9% (C group) into the spermatic cord. The intraoperative evaluation was carried out using the cardiorespiratory stability parameters and eventually administration of rescue analgesia. A rescue analgesia (fentanyl 2 µg/kg) was administered during orchiectomy in case of considerable increase of blood pressure, heart rate or respiratory rate. The postoperative evaluation was been done using scores following a UNESP-Botucatu multimodal scale for 6 h post-surgery. RESULTS: As result, cats in R group responded better to surgical procedure, maintaining lower postoperative pain scores than C group. CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasound-guided funicular block used in this study, as already demonstrated in dogs, is a good method to protect the cats from surgical pain and ensure a good level of surgical analgesia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35538544/