Abstract
Objectives
To determine the physiologic and behavioral effects and pharmacokinetic profile of
hydromorphone administered intravenously (IV) to horses.
Study design
Prospective, randomized, crossover study.
Animals
A group of six adult healthy horses weighing 585.2 ± 58.7 kg.
Methods
Each horse was administered IV hydromorphone (0.025 mg kg–1; treatment H0.025), hydromorphone (0.05 mg kg–1; treatment H0.05) or 0.9% saline in random order with a 7 day washout period. For
each treatment, physiologic, hematologic, abdominal borborygmi scores and behavioral
data were recorded over 5 hours and fecal output was totaled over 24 hours. Data were
analyzed using repeated measures anova with significance at p < 0.05. Blood samples were collected in treatment H0.05 for quantification of plasma
hydromorphone and hydromorphone-3-glucuronide and subsequent pharmacokinetic parameter
calculation.
Results
Hydromorphone administration resulted in a dose-dependent increase in heart rate (HR)
and systolic arterial pressure (SAP). HR and SAP were 59 ± 17 beats minute–1 and 230 ± 27 mmHg, respectively, in treatment H0.05 at 5 minutes after administration.
No clinically relevant changes in respiratory rate, arterial gases or temperature
were observed. The borborygmi scores in both hydromorphone treatments were lower than
baseline values for 2 hours. Fecal output did not differ among treatments and no evidence
of abdominal discomfort was observed. Recorded behaviors did not differ among treatments.
For hydromorphone, mean ± standard deviation for volume of distribution at steady
state, total systemic clearance and area under the curve until the last measured concentration
were 1.00 ± 0.29 L kg–1, 106 ± 21 mL minute–1 kg–1 and 8.0 ± 1.5 ng hour mL–1, respectively.
Conclusions and clinical relevance
Hydromorphone administered IV to healthy horses increased HR and SAP, decreased abdominal
borborygmi and did not affect fecal output.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 11, 2020
Accepted:
March 30,
2020
Received:
August 23,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
