Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound nerve block helps cats with pain after spay surgery
By Lazzarini, Eleonora et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block with 0.5 mL of 0.2% bupivacaine/kg is a valuable perioperative analgesic adjunct for cats undergoing ovariectomy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 48 healthy female cats undergoing spay surgery (ovariectomy) received either a low or high dose of a pain-relieving injection called bupivacaine, while some did not receive the injection at all. The cats that got the higher dose of bupivacaine experienced less pain during and after the surgery compared to those who received the lower dose or none at all. This means that using the high-volume bupivacaine injection can be an effective way to manage pain in cats during spay procedures, helping them recover more comfortably without any serious side effects.
People also search for: cat spay surgery pain relief · bupivacaine for cats · feline ovariectomy recovery tips
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the perioperative analgesic effects of bilateral ultrasound (US)-guided quadratus lumborum block (QLB) using low-volume (LV) or high-volume (HV) bupivacaine, compared to a control group, in cats undergoing ovariectomy. ANIMALS: 48 healthy female cats. METHODS: Cats were sedated with IM dexmedetomidine (5 µg/kg), ketamine (1 mg/kg), and methadone (0.2 mg/kg) followed by IV propofol induction and isoflurane maintenance. Cats were randomly assigned to 3 groups of 16 patients each: QLB-LV group (0.3 mL/kg/side), QLB-HV group (0.5 mL/kg/side), and control group (no QLB). Bilateral, in-plane, US-guided QLB was performed with lateral approach at the L2 transverse process with bupivacaine 0.2%. Physiological variables were recorded intraoperatively by a masked investigator. If intraoperative nociception occurred, fentanyl (1 µg/kg) was administered IV. Rescue postoperative analgesia (buprenorphine, 0.2 mg/kg) was administered in case of a Feline Grimace Scale score ≥ 4 after a 4-hour evaluation period. RESULTS: In the control group, heart rate (HR) was higher than the QLB-LV group during the first ovarian manipulation (P < .001) and higher than the QLB-HV group during both ovarian manipulations (P < .001 and P = .006). The need for intraoperative rescue analgesia and postoperative pain scores were significantly higher in the QLB-LV (P = .005 and P = .047) and control (P < .001 and P < .001) groups compared to the QLB-HV group. Buprenorphine was administered once in the control group. No clinical signs of bupivacaine toxicity or QLB complications were observed. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Bilateral US-guided QLB-HV may effectively provide perioperative analgesia in feline patients undergoing ovariectomy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39032515/