Effects of alfaxalone on echocardiographic examination in healthy dogs

Kim, Ye-Won; Kim, Tae-Jun; Hyun, Changbaig

doi:2015.55.4.221

Korean J Vet Res > Volume 55(4); 2015 > Article

Original Article

Korean Journal of Veterinary Research 2015;55(4):221-225.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14405/kjvr.2015.55.4.221 Published online December 31, 2015.

Effects of alfaxalone on echocardiographic examination in healthy dogs

Ye-Won Kim, Tae-Jun Kim, Changbaig Hyun

Section of Small Animal Internal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of alfaxalone (3 mg/kg, intravenously) on echocardiographic examination in healthy dogs using echocardiography. Six adult Beagle dogs were used for this study. Left ventricular dimensions with systolic indexes, trans-blood flow at all cardiac valvular annulus and trans-mitral tissue Doppler values were measured from routine transthoracic echocardiography. Although the changes were not statistically significant, heart rate, left ventricular end-systolic diameter, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, peak velocities of tricuspid A-wave and transpulmonic flow were increased after alfaxalone induction, while systolic blood pressure, fractional shortening, left ventricular ejection fraction, peak velocities of mitral E-wave, mitral A wave, tricuspid E-wave, transaortic flow and medial e'-, a'- and s'-peaks decreased after alfaxalone induction. No dogs showed hypoxemia during sedation, regardless of intubation and oxygen supply. Although alfaxalone showed mild cardiovascular depression, this protocol could be a good alternative sedative protocol for echocardiographic examination in healthy dogs because the cardiovascular depression was statistically and clinically insignificant. However, further studies in dogs with heart diseases should be conducted to confirm these findings after alfaxalone induction.

Key Words: alfaxalone, canine, cardiac function, cardiovascular depression, left ventricle