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Objective To determine if neuromuscular monitoring at the pelvic limb accurately reflects neuromuscular function in the larynx after administration of rocuronium in anesthetized dogs. Study design Prospective experimental study. Animals Six healthy Beagle dogs. Methods Anesthesia was maintained in dogs with isoflurane and a continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine. Rocuronium (0.6 mg kg-1) was administered intravenously to induce neuromuscular block. Train-of-four (TOF) impulses were applied to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLn) and the peroneal nerve (Pn). The evoked TOF ratio (TOFR; T4:T1) was measured with electromyography (EMG) simultaneously at the larynx and at the pelvic limb. Spontaneous recoveries of T1 to 25% (T125%) and 75% (T175%) of twitch height, and to TOFR of 0.70 and 0.90 (TOFR0.90) at each EMG site were compared. Results Data from five dogs were analyzed. Times to T125% were similar at the pelvic limb and larynx when measured by EMG; time to T175% was slower at the larynx by 6 ± 4 minutes (p = 0.012). The larynx had a slower recovery to TOFR0.70 (41 ± 13 minutes) and TOFR0.90 (45 ± 13 minutes) than did the pelvic limb [29 ± 8 minutes (p = 0.011) and 33 ± 9 minutes (p = 0.003), respectively]. When the pelvic limb EMG returned to TOFR0.70 and TOFR0.90, the larynx EMG TOFR0.70 and TOFR0.90 values were 0.32 ± 0.12 (p = 0.001) and 0.38 ± 0.13 (p = 0.001), respectively. Conclusions and clinical relevance After administration of rocuronium, neuromuscular function assessed by EMG recovered approximately 36% slower at the larynx than at the pelvic limb. The results in these dogs suggest that quantitative neuromuscular monitoring instrumented at a pelvic limb may be unable to exclude residual block at the larynx in anesthetized dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the hypothesis that epidural morphine (0.1 mg kg−1) decreases pain in horses after laparoscopic surgery without adversely affecting gastrointestinal ( GI) motility. Study design Randomized clinical trial. Animals Eighteen horses undergoing laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy under general anesthesia. Methods Horses were randomly assigned to receive either epidural morphine (0.1 mg kg−1) or no epidural before the start of surgery. Pain behaviors were assessed during the first two post-operative days using a numerical rating scale. Barium-filled spheres were administered through a nasogastric tube before anesthesia. GI motility was assessed by recording manure production, by quantitating the spheres in the manure, and by abdominal auscultation of intestinal sounds. Heart rates and cortisol concentrations were also measured during the post-operative period. Results Pain scores increased for 12 hours after surgery in the control group and were significantly higher than in the morphine group for the first 6 hours. Pain scores remained unaltered in the morphine group throughout the observation period. Heart rate and plasma cortisol concentrations did not differ between groups or with time. No signs of colic were observed in any horse. Conclusion and clinical relevance Epidural morphine (0.1 mg kg−1) did not adversely affect GI motility in horses after laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]