Sources of Variability in Recovery Time from Methohexital Sodium Anesthesia in Snakes Author(S) :Daniel L
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Sources of Variability in Recovery Time from Methohexital Sodium Anesthesia in Snakes Author(s) :Daniel L. Preston, Craig A. E. Mosley, and Robert T. Mason Source: Copeia, 2010(3):496-501. 2010. Published By: The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1643/CP-09-091 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1643/CP-09-091 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Copeia 2010, No. 3, 496–501 Sources of Variability in Recovery Time from Methohexital Sodium Anesthesia in Snakes Daniel L. Preston1,2, Craig A. E. Mosley3, and Robert T. Mason1 Variability in anesthetic effect is frequently observed in individuals within a species, yet few studies have investigated its causes in reptiles. To evaluate potential sources of variability in reptile anesthesia, we conducted experiments to test for effects of body temperature, body condition, gravidity, and time post-feeding on the recovery time of Red-sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) anesthetized with methohexital sodium (Brevital Sodium). The mean recovery time of snakes anesthetized at 21uC was 125 min, at 26uC it was 86 min, and at 31uC it was 64 min. There was a significant correlation between body condition and recovery time, with thinner snakes experiencing longer recovery times. Gravid snakes anesthetized within five weeks of parturition had a mean recovery time that was twice as long as nongravid snakes of a similar mass. Time post-feeding did not have a statistically significant effect on the recovery time in snakes that were anesthetized one, three, and ten days after consuming 30% of their body mass in food. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations for producing more predictable results when using methohexital sodium in reptiles. URGICAL procedures requiring anesthesia are often leads to prolonged recovery periods at high doses (Glenn necessary to study aspects of reptilian anatomy, et al., 1972; Throckmorton, 1981). Propofol is the injectable S physiology, and behavior (Miller and Gutzke, 1999; agent of choice in clinical settings, but has not gained wide Blouin-Demers and Weatherhead, 2001; Krohmer et al., use in research (Anderson et al., 1999). Propofol is only 2004). Safe and effective anesthesia protocols are necessary effective when administered intravenously, making it to facilitate surgery and minimize stress and injury to challenging or impossible to use in small reptiles or taxa experimental subjects. An ideal anesthetic agent should take that lack practical venous access. Medetomidine and mid- effect rapidly, create a sufficient depth of anesthesia for the azolam are frequently used as sedatives in chelonians, often desired procedure, allow reasonably fast and predictable in combination with ketamine (Schumacher, 2007). These recovery, and should have a low risk of mortality. A suitable agents are not generally used for maintenance of anesthesia. anesthetic for reptile research must also be easy to administer Methohexital sodium (Brevital Sodium) is an ultra-short under laboratory and field conditions and should not create acting barbiturate anesthetic that has been used in numer- side effects that may impact experimental data. ous reptile taxa, including turtles (Gaztelu et al., 1991; A wide variety of injectable and inhalant anesthetic agents Crocker et al., 1999; Jackson et al., 2000), lizards (Wang have been used in reptiles (for reviews see Mosley, 2005; et al., 1977; Smith, 1982; Gans et al., 1985; Gaztelu et al., Bertelsen, 2007; Schumacher, 2007). Inhalant anesthetics, 1991), snakes (Wang et al., 1977; Nichols and Lamirande, such as isoflurane, are the agents of choice when anesthesia 1994; Miller and Gutzke, 1998), and alligators (Gatesy, machines and experienced personnel are available for drug 1990). Methohexital sodium is associated with rapid administration (Bertelsen, 2007). However, in research induction and recovery times, is effective when adminis- settings, anesthesia machines may be impractical for use in tered subcutaneously, and does not cause the tissue the field and many taxa, such as aquatic turtles, have breath- irritation that is associated with other barbiturates (Wang holding abilities that make inhalants alone ineffective et al., 1977; Nichols and Lamirande, 1994). Research unless the animal is intubated and positive pressure conducted by one of us (RTM and collaborators) has utilized ventilation is used (Schumacher, 2007). Inhalant anesthetics methohexital sodium in the field and laboratory for over can alternatively be administered without precision vapor- 20 years to anesthetize Red-sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis izers using the ‘‘open method,’’ where an animal is placed sirtalis parietalis) prior to surgical procedures (Nelson et al., into a closed container with a cotton ball that has been 1987; Shine et al., 2001; Lutterschmidt et al., 2006). While soaked in a volatile gas agent (Blouin-Demers et al., 2000). methohexital sodium is an effective injectable agent in T. s. However, it is difficult to control the depth of anesthesia parietalis, a high degree of variability in the duration of with this technique, the risk of overdose may be high, and anesthesia and recovery time has been observed among better options for anesthesia in reptiles exist. individuals. No studies have been conducted to assess the Injectable agents are simple to administer and are valuable causes of variability in anesthesia in snakes. in many circumstances when inhalants cannot be used Variable anesthetic effects among reptiles of the same effectively. Among the commonly used injectable agents in species have been anecdotally attributed to possible differ- reptiles are ketamine, propofol, medetomidine, and mid- ences in health, body temperature, body size, body condi- azolam (Read, 2004). Ketamine, while often used in reptile tion, sex, stress level, stage of ecdysis, gravidity, drug research, provides poor muscle relaxation at low doses and administration route, and elapsed time since previous 1 Department of Zoology, 3029 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331; E-mail: (DLP) [email protected]; and (RTM) [email protected]. Send reprint requests to DLP. 2 Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ramaley N122, Campus Box 334, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309. 3 Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, 227 Magruder Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331. Present address: Canada West Veterinary Specialists & Critical Care Hospital, 1988 Kootenay Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5M 4Y3; E-mail: [email protected]. Submitted: 5 May 2009. Accepted: 19 March 2010. Associate Editor: E. Schultz. F 2010 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists DOI: 10.1643/CP-09-091 Preston et al.—Anesthesia in snakes 497 dosings (Karlstrom and Cook, 1955; Cooper, 1974; Wang and 0.75 in 26 G needles. Snake body temperatures were et al., 1977; Holz and Holz, 1994; Hill and Mackessy, 1997; recorded using a thermocouple thermometer (Digi-Sense Miller and Gutzke, 1998; Blouin-Demers et al., 2000). Few ThermoLogR Thermistor, Cole-Parmer, Vernon Hills, IL) studies have experimentally evaluated causes of variability in inserted 3 cm into the snake’s cloaca and were measured anesthesia within a species. Body temperature has an effect every 30 min during anesthesia and recovery. Quantifying on ketamine anesthesia in skinks (Arena et al., 1988) and anesthetic effect was accomplished by measuring the time isoflurane anesthesia in desert iguanas (Dohm and Brunson, after drug administration at which each snake regained its 1998). Both studies found lower body temperatures resulted ability to right its entire body when placed on its back in a longer duration of anesthesia. Other potential variables (hereafter called recovery time). The righting reflex of each remain unstudied with regard to anesthesia in reptiles. snake was evaluated at intervals of five min or less Identifying sources of variability in the anesthesia of throughout anesthesia. snakes will help improve anesthesia protocols and will increase our understanding of the mechanisms that induce Experiment 1: body temperature.—Twenty male T. s. parietalis and terminate the action of anesthetics in reptiles. We (43–50 cm SVL, 27–47 g body mass) were anesthetized at hypothesized that several physiological parameters may body temperatures of 21uC, 26uC, and 31uC in a repeated influence recovery time from anesthesia in snakes. Separate measures experimental design. At each temperature, the 20 experiments were conducted to assess