Intraoperative analgesia in cats undergoing OHE

Feline ovariohysterectomy (OHE) is considered a moderately painful abdominal surgery. Physiological signs such as pale mucous membranes, increased blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate can be used to assess acute nociceptive response during surgery.

This study was meant to evaluate the intraoperative analgesic effect of preoperative infiltration of the incision site with lidocaine or a mixture of lidocaine with bupivacaine in cats undergoing OHE. For this purpose, 75 healthy female cats were spayed (under medetomidine – ketamine – buprenorphine anesthesia) and were assigned to three different groups:

– Group GL – received preoperative infiltration of lidocaine in the incision site.

– Group GLB – received preoperative infiltration of a mixture of lidocaine with bupivacaine in the incision site.

– Control group – received preoperative infiltration of sodium chloride 0.9% in the incision site.

A higher number of cats in the control group needed a supplemental bolus of propofol during surgery when compared to other groups. The mean arterial pressure also tended to increase in this group, as well as heart rates at the time of excision of the second ovary and the uterine body. Preoperative infiltration of the incision site with lidocaine or with a mixture of lidocaine with bupivacaine seems to improve intraoperative analgesia.

In Vicente D, Bergström A. (2017) Evaluation of intraoperative analgesia provided by incisional lidocaine and bupivacaine in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 1– 6, DOI: 10.1177/1098612X17735167