SUBARACHNOID ANALGESIA IN DONKEYS

Abstract

The present study was performed on 68 clinically healthy donkeys (.33 males and 35 females). The age of these animals ranged between 3- 10 years and their were about 60 - 110 kg body weight. The animals were divided into two main groups (each of them had 28 donkeys) and one control group (had 12 donkeys), each group divided into 4 subgroups. Each mam subgroup had 7 animals and each control subgroup had 3 animals. The mam groups injected with bupivacaine Hcl 0.5% and lidocaine Hcl 2% respectively while the control group injected with sodium chloride 0.9%.

The lumbosacral intervertebral jtmction was found to be the most suitable site for introduction of unidirectional spinal needle to induce lumbosacral subaraclmoid analgesia and to implant the epidural catheter for producing thoracolumbar subarachnoid analgesia. The length fo the spinal needle measured from the skin to the lumbosacral subarachnoid space varied from 5 to 8.5 em, while the length of the implanted catheter measured from the skin till the thoracolumbar subaraclmoid space ranged between 23 and 35 em.

The onset of analgesia was rapid and ranged between 1 and 5 minutes after injection of analgesic agents into the subarachnoid space. The duration of analgesia after lumbosacral injection of 1 ml bupivacaine Hcl was 94.4 ± 19.0 min while it was 120.0 ± 27.5 min after thoracolumbar injection.

Analgesia •lasted 195.7 ± 35.9 min after lumbosacral injection of 2 mi ,. bupivacaine Hcl while it was f40.7 ±25.5 min after thoracolumbar injectin.

On the other hand, the duration of analgesia lasted 65.7 ± 28.3 min after lumbosacral injection of 1 ml lidocaine Hcl while it was 75.0 ± 23.0 after thoracolumbar injection. Analgesia lasted 99.3 ± 26.4 min after lumbosacral