Postoperative analgesic effects of intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous or oral transmucosal buprenorphine administered to cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the postoperative analgesic effects of intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC) or oral transmucosal (OTM) buprenorphine administered to cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.


METHODS
Randomized, prospective and blinded clinical trial.


METHODS
100 female cats.


METHODS
Cats were assigned to receive 0.01 mg kg(-1) of buprenorphine administered by the IV, IM, SC or OTM route (n = 25/group). Buprenorphine was made up to 0.3 mL with 0.9% saline. DIVAS (0-100 mm) and simple descriptive scale (SDS) (from 0 to 4) pain and sedation scores were assigned to each cat before and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 hours after ovariohysterectomy. Buprenorphine and carprofen were administered for rescue analgesia. Data were analyzed using anova and Fisher's exact test (p < 0.05).


RESULTS
There were no significant differences between groups for breed, body weight, anesthetic time or surgery time (p > 0.05). There were no significant differences between groups for sedation scores at any time. SDS pain scores did not detect any differences between groups (p > 0.05). DIVAS pain scores after OTM administration were significantly higher than IV and IM administration at 1 hour and at 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12 hours, respectively (p < 0.05). DIVAS pain scores after SC administration were significantly higher than IV and IM administration at 2 hours and at 2, 3, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours (p < 0.05), respectively. Six, four, 13 and 17 cats that received IV, IM, SC and OTM buprenorphine required rescue analgesia, respectively. There was a significantly higher incidence of treatment failure in cats that received SC and OTM buprenorphine compared with cats that received IV and IM buprenorphine (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
IV and IM administration of buprenorphine provided better postoperative analgesia than SC or OTM administration of the drug and these routes of administration should be preferred when buprenorphine is administered to cats.
Giordano
Tatiana
T
Department of Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Sao Paulo State University, UNESP Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
Steagall
Paulo V M
PV
Ferreira
Tatiana H
TH
Minto
Bruno W
BW
de Sá Lorena
Sílvia Elaine Rodolfo
SE
Brondani
Juliana
J
Luna
Stelio P L
SP
D000278:Administration, Buccal; D000698:Analgesia / Q000662:veterinary; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D002415:Cats / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000662:veterinary*; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular / Q000662:veterinary; D007275:Injections, Intravenous / Q000662:veterinary; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous / Q000662:veterinary; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000662:veterinary*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000662:veterinary; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D002047:Buprenorphine