Cardiovascular effects of dobutamine, norepinephrine and phenylephrine in isoflurane-anaesthetized dogs administered dexmedetomidine–vatinoxan

To determine whether dobutamine, norepinephrine or phenylephrine infusions alleviate hypotension in isoflurane-anaesthetized dogs administered dexmedetomidine with vatinoxan. Balanced, randomized crossover trial. A total of eight healthy Beagle dogs. Each dog was anaesthetized with isoflurane (end-tidal isoflurane 1.3%) and five treatments: dexmedetomidine hydrochloride (2.5 μg kg–1) bolus followed by 0.9% saline infusion (DEX-S); dexmedetomidine and vatinoxan hydrochloride (100 μg kg–1) bolus followed by an infusion of 0.9% saline (DEX-VAT-S), dobutamine (DEX-VAT-D), norepinephrine (DEX-VAT-N) or phenylephrine (DEX-VAT-P). The dexmedetomidine and vatinoxan boluses were administered at baseline (T0) and the treatment infusion was started after 15 minutes (T15) if mean arterial pressure (MAP) was < 90 mmHg. The treatment infusion rate was adjusted every 5 minutes as required. Systemic haemodynamics were recorded at T0 and 10 (T10) and 45 (T45) minutes. A repeated measures analysis of covariance model was used. Most dogs had a MAP < 70 mmHg at T0 before treatment. Treatments DEX-S and DEX-VAT all significantly increased MAP at T10, but systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) was significantly higher and cardiac index (CI) lower after DEX-S than after DEX-VAT. CI did not significantly differ between DEX-S and DEX-VAT-S at T45, while SVRI remained higher with DEX-S. Normotension was achieved by all vasoactive infusions in every dog, whereas MAP was below baseline with DEX-VAT-S, and higher than baseline with DEX-S at T45. Median infusion rates were 3.75, 0.25 and 0.5 μg kg–1 minute–1 for dobutamine, norepinephrine and phenylephrine, respectively. Dobutamine and norepinephrine increased CI (mean ± standard deviation, 3.35 ± 0.70 and 3.97 ± 1.24 L minute–1 m–2, respectively) and decreased SVRI, whereas phenylephrine had the opposite effect (CI 2.13 ± 0.45 L minute–1 m–2). Hypotension in isoflurane-anaesthetized dogs administered dexmedetomidine and vatinoxan can be treated with either dobutamine or norepinephrine.