General anesthesia with an injectable 8% v/v sevoflurane lipid emulsion administered intravenously to dogs

ObjectiveTo evaluate the potential of an intravenous (IV) sevoflurane formulation for maintenance of general anesthesia in dogs. Study designProspective crossover design. AnimalsSix healthy, mature, mixed-breed dogs, four males and two females, weighing 11.73.4kg. MethodsAnesthesia was induced and maintained with propofol IV for instrumentation. Baseline measurements were recorded before administration of either sevoflurane in oxygen (Sevo-Inh) or lipid-emulsified sevoflurane 8% v/v in 30% Intralipid IV (Sevo-E), 0.5mLkg(-1) over 5minutes followed by an infusion at 0.1-0.3mLkg(-1)minute(-1). Dogs were breathing spontaneously. The up-and-down' technique was used to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane. Over 120minutes, a tail clamp was applied every 15minutes and sevoflurane administration was adjusted depending on the response. End-tidal sevoflurane concentration and variables were recorded at 30, 60, 90, and 120minutes: heart rate (HR), systemic arterial pressure (sAP), respiratory rate (f(R)), end-tidal carbon dioxide tension, hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SaO(2)), arterial pH and blood gases, blood urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase, creatine kinase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and aspartate aminotransferase. ResultsThere were no significant differences between treatments for HR, sAP,f(R), SaO(2), and biochemical variables (p>0.05). pH and HCO3- were significantly decreased, and PaCO2 increased from baseline in Sevo-E (p<0.05). MAC was significantly lower for Sevo-E than for Sevo-Inh, although the required dose of sevoflurane (ghour(-1)) to maintain general anesthesia was not significantly different between treatments. Conclusions and clinical relevanceAdministration of 8% v/v sevoflurane lipid emulsion IV was effective in maintaining general anesthesia in dogs, but resulted in moderate cardiopulmonary depression, metabolic and respiratory acidosis. The amount of sevoflurane (ghour(-1)) required to maintain general anesthesia was significantly lower for inhaled than for IV sevoflurane.