Effects of tribromoethanol anesthesia on echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function in mice.
OBJECTIVE
Pentobarbital and ketamine-xylazine anesthesia in mice result in markedly decreased left ventricular fractional shortening and cardiac output. However, to the authors' knowledge, the effect of short-acting, alcohol-based anesthesia on these parameters is unknown.


METHODS
Fifteen mice (FVB/N, C57Bl/6J, A/J, n = 5 each) underwent high-resolution (15 MHz) 2-dimensional-directed M-mode echocardiography before and after undergoing 2.5% tribromoethanol anesthesia (0.01 ml/g of body weight).


RESULTS
Tribromoethanol anesthesia resulted in significant heart rate slowing (29%) and left ventricular enlargement (20%), and a more modest (12%) reduction in left ventricular fractional shortening. Cardiac output was unchanged. The differences in left ventricular function between conscious and tribromoethanol studies were similar for each of the three strains of mice.


CONCLUSIONS
Tribromoethanol anesthesia induced only modest effects on M-mode estimates of basal cardiac function and did not influence cardiac output. The effects to tribromoethanol anesthesia were similar among three commonly used mice strains.
Kiatchoosakun
S
S
Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University, Ohio 44106-5038, USA.
Kirkpatrick
D
D
Hoit
B D
BD
D000758:Anesthesia; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000187:drug effects; D004452:Echocardiography; D000431:Ethanol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008805:Mice, Inbred A; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013045:Species Specificity; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects*
D000777:Anesthetics; C062527:tribromoethanol; D000431:Ethanol