Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound nerve block for pain relief in male cats
By Adami, Chiara et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2014·Vetsuisse Faculty·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ultrasound-guided pudendal nerve block in cats undergoing perineal urethrostomy: a prospective, randomised, investigator-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Eighteen male cats scheduled for a perineal urethrostomy (a surgery to create a new opening for urination) received either a nerve block with a pain medication called bupivacaine or a placebo saline solution during surgery. The cats that received the bupivacaine showed less pain during and after the procedure, needed fewer additional pain medications, and had lower heart rates compared to those that received the saline. There were no complications from the nerve block. This technique appears to be a safe and effective way to manage pain in cats undergoing this type of surgery.
People also search for: cat perineal urethrostomy pain relief · bupivacaine for cats · cat surgery pain management
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness, in terms of analgesic efficacy and safety, of ultrasound-guided pudendal nerve block performed with bupivacaine in cats undergoing perineal urethrostomy. Eighteen client-owned male cats scheduled for perineal urethrostomy were enrolled in the study and assigned to one of two treatment groups. The pudendal nerve block was performed under general anaesthesia, as described elsewhere, with 0.3 ml/kg of either saline (group C) or 0.5% bupivacaine (group B) - the total injection volume being split equally between the two sites of injection (left and right). Intra-operatively, assessment of nociception was based on the rescue analgesics requirement, as well as on the evaluation of changes in physiological parameters in comparison with the baseline values. Postoperative pain assessment was performed using three different pain scales at recovery and then 1, 2 and 3 h after recovery. Cats in group B showed lower heart rates and required fewer analgesics during surgery than group C. Postoperatively, group B had lower pain scores and needed less rescue buprenorphine than group C. Iatrogenic block-related complications were not observed. In conclusion, the ultrasound-guided pudendal nerve block can be considered clinically useful in feline medicine as it provides reliable analgesia in cats undergoing perineal urethrostomy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24174501/