Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Continuous bupivacaine infusion eases pain after dog ear canal
By Radlinsky, MaryAnn G et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2005·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of a continuous, local infusion of bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia in dogs undergoing total ear canal ablation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 16 dogs undergoing total ear canal ablation (surgery to remove the ear canal) were given either morphine alone or morphine plus a continuous local infusion of bupivacaine (a pain relief medication) after their surgery. The goal was to see if the bupivacaine would improve pain control. While the dogs that received bupivacaine showed slightly better recovery scores shortly after waking up, overall pain relief and the need for additional morphine were similar in both groups. Ultimately, the addition of bupivacaine did not significantly enhance pain management for these dogs after surgery.
People also search for: dog ear surgery pain relief · total ear canal ablation recovery · bupivacaine for dogs pain management
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether addition of a continuous, local infusion of bupivacaine would improve postoperative analgesia in dogs undergoing total ear canal ablation. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. ANIMALS: 16 dogs undergoing total ear canal ablation (12 unilaterally and 4 bilaterally with > 1 month between procedures). PROCEDURE: Dogs were randomly allocated to receive morphine (0.25 mg/kg [0.11 mg/lb]) at the end of the procedure (10 procedures) or morphine and a continuous, local infusion of bupivacaine (0.13 to 0.21 mg/kg/h [0.06 to 0.1 mg/lb/h]; 10 procedures). Dogs were observed for 48 hours after surgery. Additional doses of morphine were administered up to every 4 hours in dogs with signs of severe pain. RESULTS: Temperament, sedation, analgesia, and cumulative pain scores were not significantly different between groups any time after surgery. Recovery score was significantly higher for dogs that received bupivacaine than for control dogs 2 hours after extubation but not at any other time. Serum cortisol concentration was not significantly different between groups at any time but, in both groups, was significantly increased at the time of extubation, compared with all other observation times. Total number of additional doses of morphine administered was not significantly different between groups. Bupivacaine was not detected in the plasma of any of the dogs that received the local bupivacaine infusion. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that addition of a continuous, local infusion of bupivacaine did not significantly increase the degree of postoperative analgesia in dogs that underwent total ear canal ablation and were given morphine at the end of surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16121607/