Research Article - Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Allied Science (2018) Volume 2, Issue 1

Preliminary survey on influence of renal portal system during propofol anesthesia in yellow-bellied turtle (Trachemys scripta scripta).

Renal portal system makes challenging administration of drugs in reptiles. In fact renal portal system can accelerate excrection, increase clearance and consequently decrease plasmatic drug levels of drugs administered in the caudal quarter of the body. Fourteen healthy adult yellow-bellied sliders were used for this study. Turtles were randomly divided into three groups (A,B,C). A dose of 5 mg/kg of propofol was administered through occipital venous sinus (A), through subcarapacial venous sinus (B), and through coccygeal vein (C). Induction time, tracheal tube insertion time, surgical plane of anesthesia and full recovery time were recorded. Heart rate and respiratory rate were recorded for thirty minutes. The quality of anaesthesia was recorded as sedation score (ranging from 0 to 4). While in group A surgical level of Anastasia was reached, in the group B anesthesia induction was never achieved and only in two turtles of group C, surgical plane of anesthesia was achieved just in the hindquarter; these turtles showed full motility in forelimbs and head. No significant differences were statistically noted in heart rate when mean values were compared between groups. Time of full movement recovery of group C were significantly high, if compared with values of group A. Possible causes of failure to reach anaesthesia level in group B may be caused to a dosetoo low for this route of administration. Failure to obtain general anaesthesia in group C may suggest an influence of the renal portal system, but it does not explain limited effect just on hind limbs. In some subjects of the group C, elimination of the drug was very long, but recovery was uneventful. Propofol in yellow-bellied turtles showed altered mechanisms of action depending on the injection sites.

Author(s): Marco Di Giuseppe *, Manuel Morici, Bernadette Nastasi , Filippo Spadola

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