Evaluation of the perioperative analgesic efficacy of buprenorphine, compared with butorphanol, in cats

摘要

Objective—To compare the analgesic effects of buprenorphine and butorphanol in domestic cats.Design—2-phase positive-controlled randomized masked clinical trial.Animals—39 healthy female cats (10 in phase 1 and 29 in phase 2).Procedures—Cats admitted for ovariohysterectomy received buprenorphine (4 in phase 1; 14 in phase 2) or butorphanol (6in phase 1; 15 in phase 2). In phase 1, cats were premedi-cated with buprenorphine (0.02 mg/kg [0.009 mg/lb], IM) or butorphanol (0.4 mg/kg [0.18 mg/lb], IM), in combination with medetomidine. Anesthesia was induced with propofol (IV) and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. After extubation, medetomidine was antagonized with atipamezole. A validated multidimensional composite scale was used to assess signs of pain after surgery starting 20 minutes after extubation and continuing for up to 360 minutes, and pain score comparisons were made between the 2 groups. Phase 2 proceeded similar to phase 1 with the following addition: during wound closure, cats from the butorphanol and buprenorphine groups received butorphanol (0.4 mg/kg, IM) or buprenorphine(0.02 mg/kg, IM), respectively.Results—Phase 1 of the study was stopped after 10 cats were ovariohysterectomized because 9 of 10 cats reguired rescue analgesia at the first evaluation. In phase 2, at the first pain evaluation, pain scores from the buprenorphine group were lower, andall cats from the butorphanol group reguired rescue analgesia. None of the cats from the buprenorphine group reguired rescue analgesia at any time.Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Buprenorphine (0.02 mg/kg, IM) given before surgery and during wound closure provided adeguate analgesia for 6 hours following ovariohysterectomy in cats, whereas butorphanol did not. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2014;245:195-202)