Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bradyarrhythmia and low blood pressure after epidural injections
By Iff, Isabelle & Moens, Yves·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia·2008·Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Two cases of bradyarrhythmia and hypotension after extradural injections in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two healthy, seven-year-old female Rottweilers were brought in for knee surgery and experienced serious heart and blood pressure issues after receiving epidural anesthesia. One dog’s heart rate dropped significantly, and her blood pressure fell dangerously low, but she responded well to a medication called atropine. The second dog also had a major drop in heart rate and blood pressure, but fortunately, her condition improved without treatment. These cases highlight the importance of careful monitoring during epidural injections to prevent cardiovascular problems.
People also search for: dog heart rate drop after anesthesia · Rottweiler blood pressure issues · epidural anesthesia side effects in dogs
Abstract
OBSERVATIONS: Two healthy obese, seven-year-old, female Rottweilers weighing 40 and 57 kg were submitted for cranial cruciate repair. They were premedicated with intravenous methadone (0.1 mg kg(-1)) and acepromazine (0.01 and 0.02 mg kg(-1)). Anesthesia was induced with propofol (3.6 and 2.5 mg kg(-1)) and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen using a circle breathing system. The dogs were placed in sternal recumbency and epidural injection of lidocaine/bupivacaine or lidocaine/bupivacaine/morphine (0.2 mL/kg, 8 and 11 mL) was carried out over 1.5 and 4 minutes. Epidural pressures were 79 and 72 mmHg at the end of the injections. The first dog's heart rate decreased from 80 to 65 beats minute(-1) with a second degree atrioventricular (AV) block. The arterial pressure decreased from 100 to 50 mmHg. These responded to atropine (0.01 mg kg(-1) IV). The second dog's heart rate decreased from 120 to 60 beats minute(-1) while arterial pressure decreased from 72 to 38 mmHg. No treatment was given and heart rate and arterial blood pressure returned to acceptable ranges. CONCLUSIONS: These cases suggest that large increases in epidural pressure may cause significant cardiovascular effects. This may be avoided by using lower volumes and discontinuing injection if significant back pressure is detected.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18282259/