Clinical Comparison of Medetomidine
with Isoflurane or Sevoflurane for Anesthesia
in Horses
Mustafa Arıcan1*, Hanifi Erol2
and Evren Esin3
1Department
of Surgery,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, The
University of Selcuk, Campus, Konya, Turkey; 2Department
of Surgery,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, The
University of Erciyes, Kayseri, Turkey; 3Lara Animal
Hospital, Antalya, Turkey;
*Corresponding author: marican@selcuk.edu.tr
Abstract
The effects of
anesthesia using medetomidine combined with isoflurane or sevoflurane on
hemodynamic parameters, blood biochemistry, and intraocular pressure was
evaluated in horses. Healthy horses (n=12) with a mean body weight of 438±51kg
were used.
Premedication was provided by administering medeto-midine (7 µg/kg)
intravenously (IV), and general anesthesia was induced by administering ketamine
(2.2 mg/kg) and midazolam (0.03 mg/kg) IV after
which isoflurane (n=6) or sevoflurane (n=6) was administered for inhalation
anesthesia.Blood gases, respiratory rate, heart rate,
electrocardiogram, body temperature, and oxygen saturation, as well as systolic,
diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure
were recorded at 0, 5, 15, 30, and 60 min afteradministering medetomidine. Statistically non-significant differences in the study
variables were observed between the
isoflurane and sevoflurane groups.Blood gases and electrolyte parameters in both groups were
unchanged. Intraocular pressure and liver enzymes levels were similar to
reference values.
Anesthesia
protocols of study using medetomidine combined with isoflurane or sevoflurane
produced minimal complications in horses. Medetomidine with sevoflurane provided
deep anesthesia, and had fewer cardiopulmonary effects than medetomidine with
isoflurane.