PERIOPERATIVE ANALGESIC EFFICACY OF A PREEMPTIVE INTRA-ARTICULAR LIDOCAINE OR LIDOCAINE WITH EPINEPHRINE BOLUS IN DOGS DURING ELBOW OR SHOULDER ARTHROSCOPY

Lidocaine is a local anesthetic, widely used on veterinary practice, that produces complete blockade of sodium channels of sensory nerve fibers; the blockade prevents the inflow of Na+ into the channel, preventing the conducting axons of peripheral nerves and it is administered through several methods. Several studies have demonstrated the perioperative analgesic efficacy of intrarticular (IA) lidocaine during arthroscopic surgery in humans. However, some studies have reported that local anesthesia was not adequate in controlling pain during arthroscopic surgery. Therefore, data on effectiveness are not conclusive. To the author’s knowledge there are no studies regarding the preemptive use of IA lidocaine with or without epinephrine for arthroscopic surgery in dogs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intraoperative and postoperative analgesic efficacy of a preemptive bolus of IA lidocaine (or lidocaine with epinephrine, L+A) during arthroscopy in dogs under general anesthesia. The use of preemptive intrarticular lidocaine (with or without epinephrine) bolus for arthroscopy of the elbow and shoulder, in acepromazine/isoflurane anesthetized dogs, does not provide adequate intraoperative analgesia, and offers only a weak and short postoperative analgesia.