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Questions and Answers
What is the primary purpose of using anxiolytics in veterinary practice?
Which of the following describes the appropriate storage requirements for Schedule II drugs?
What is the primary function of alpha2-antagonists in veterinary medicine?
Which preanesthetic medication is known for its anticholinergic properties?
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What is a significant adverse effect associated with opioids in veterinary patients?
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Which controlled substances require the use of DEA Form 222 for ordering?
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What is the effect of benzodiazepines when used in young, healthy animals?
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Which opioid is classified as a partial agonist?
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What adverse effect is associated specifically with phenothiazines?
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Which type of medication induces neuroleptanalgesia when administered with opioids?
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Which of the following is not classified as an anesthetic agent?
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Agonists primarily function by doing what?
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Which of the following routes of administration is least likely to provide rapid onset of anesthetic effects?
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What is a common characteristic of agonist-antagonist agents?
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Which statement about analgesics used during anesthesia is true?
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Which of the following statements best describes the pharmacokinetics of injectable anesthetics?
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What is a critical consideration when mixing anesthetic drugs in a syringe?
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Which drug scheduling is NOT correct according to government regulations for controlled substances?
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Which of the following best represents an adjunct in anesthesia?
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What is a characteristic of injectable anesthetic drugs?
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Which effect is primarily associated with propofol?
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What differentiates dissociative anesthetics from other injectable anesthetics?
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What is the role of the blood-gas partition coefficient in inhalation anesthetics?
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Which of the following is an adverse effect commonly associated with inhalation anesthetics?
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What is a primary concern when using dissociative anesthetics in animals with liver disease?
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Which injectable anesthetic is noted for its ultra-short-acting properties?
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What is the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) used to measure?
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Which injectable anesthetic is utilized primarily in cats for light anesthesia or deep sedation?
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How do halogenated inhalation anesthetics primarily achieve their effects?
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Which statement accurately describes the relationship between MAC and anesthetic potency?
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What is a key characteristic of isoflurane regarding its effects on cardiovascular health?
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What is the predominant elimination route for isoflurane following anesthesia?
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Which agent primarily requires a precision vaporizer due to its high vapor pressure?
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How does nitrous oxide affect the Minimum Alveolar Concentration (MAC) of other inhalant agents?
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Which adverse effect is associated with the use of doxapram?
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What is the blood-gas partition coefficient of desflurane relative to other inhalants?
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Why is doxapram considered an analeptic agent?
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In which condition must doxapram be administered to ensure safety?
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Which anesthetic agent is noted for having a MAC value range that is the least potent among the inhalant agents discussed?
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Study Notes
Anesthetic Agents and Adjuncts
- An anesthetic agent is any drug that induces loss of sensation with or without unconsciousness
- An adjunct is any drug that is not a true anesthetic, but is used during anesthesia to create other desired effects, such as anxiolysis, sedation, muscle relaxation, analgesia, reversal, neuromuscular blockade, or parasympathetic blockade
Classifications of Anesthetic Agents and Adjuncts
- Classified based on route of administration, time of administration, principal effect, and chemistry
Clinically Important Properties of Anesthetic Agents
- Pharmacokinetics: how the drug moves within the body
- Pharmacodynamics: the effect the drug has on the body
- Target tissues and stimulation: the CNS is typically the target for depression or stimulation
Agonists, Partial Agonists, Mixed Agonist-Antagonists, and Antagonists
- Agonists: bind to and stimulate target tissue, most anesthetic agents and adjuncts are agonists
- Partial Agonists and Mixed Agonist-Antagonists: opioids
- Antagonists: bind to target tissue but do not stimulate, used as reversal agents
Analgesia
- Most general anesthetics are not analgesics
- Must provide analgesia before and after the procedure
- True analgesics do not provide general anesthesia
Route of Administration
- Inhalant
- Injectable: intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous
- Oral
- Topical
Drug Combinations
- Do not mix drugs in a single syringe unless compatible
- Do not administer a drug combination if a precipitate develops
- Most anesthetic agents and adjuncts are water soluble, diazepam is not
Controlled Substances Regulations
- Governmentally regulated drugs
- Five drug schedules: I, II, III, IV, V
- Dispensed: DEA in the US, CSA in Canada
- Enforced: RCMP in Canada
Controlled Substances Recordkeeping
- Enforced by DEA
- Inventory every two years in a veterinary practice
- Use of a controlled substance log
Ordering Controlled Substances
- Schedule II drugs: DEA Form 222
- Schedule III and IV drugs: no special order form
Storing Controlled Substances
- Schedule II through V drugs: securely locked, substantially constructed cabinet, not in public areas
- Opioid agonist and antagonist drugs: safe or steel cabinet
- Report any unexpected, significant loss or suspected theft to DEA and local police
Prescribing Controlled Substances
- Take precautions to prevent abuse: keep Rx pads in a secure location, prevent illegal alteration of prescriptions
Preanesthetic Medications
- Anxiolytics: gabapentin, trazodone
- Anticholinergics: atropine, glycopyrrolate
- Tranquilizers and sedatives: phenothiazines (acepromazine), benzodiazepines (diazepam, zolazepam, midazolam), alpha2-adrenoceptor agonists (alpha2-agonists)
- Opioids (agonists, partial agonists, agonist-antagonists, antagonists)
- Antiemetics: prevent nausea and vomiting
Preanesthetic Medications - Indications
- Calm or sedate excited animals
- Minimize adverse drug effects
- Reduce the dose of concurrent drugs
- Smoother anesthetic induction and recovery
- Analgesia
- Muscle relaxation
Anxiolytics
- Gabapentin: analgesic properties, anxiolysis, anticonvulsant
- Trazodone: reduces stress, fear, and anxiety
Preanesthetic Anticholinergics
- Parasympatholytic drugs: block acetylcholine
- Prevent and treat bradycardia
- Decrease in salivary secretions
- Atropine and glycopyrrolate: intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, or intratracheal
- Atropine: faster onset, shorter peak, shorter duration
- Glycopyrrolate: slower onset, longer peak, longer duration
Anticholinergic Effects
- Central nervous system: limited effect
- Cardiovascular: prevent bradycardia
- Decrease in respiratory and salivary secretions
- Bronchodilation
- Eyes: mydriasis and corneal drying
- Decrease in gastrointestinal and lacrimal secretions
Anticholinergic Adverse Effects
- Cardiac arrhythmia: contraindicated in patients with elevated heart rates or cardiac diseases
- Temporary bradycardia: atropine
- Thickened respiratory and salivary secretions: may lead to airway blockage
- Intestinal peristalsis inhibition: may lead to colic or bloat
Tranquilizers and Sedatives
- Tranquilizer: reduces anxiety
- Sedative: reduces mental activity, causes sleepiness
- Phenothiazines: acepromazine
- Benzodiazepines: diazepam, zolazepam, midazolam
- Alpha2-adrenoceptor agonists
Tranquilizers and Sedatives: General Risks
- Patient should not be left unattended
- Sedatives can cause respiratory distress
- Animals can exhibit unusual behavior when sedated
Phenothiazines: Acepromazine Maleate
- Only drug in class typically used as an anesthetic adjunct
- Usually administered IV or IM
Effects and Adverse Effects of Phenothiazines
- Calming/sedation
- Tachycardia or bradycardia
- Antiarrhythmic effects
- Peripheral vasodilation
- Hypotension
- Antiemetic
- Hypothermia
- Penile prolapse in large animals
- Decreased PCV
Use of Acepromazine
- Dose and needle placement
- Increased potency: geriatrics, neonates, debilitated animals
- Breed considerations: Australian shepherds, Collies (low dose), giant breeds, Boxers, Greyhounds (increased sensitivity), terriers and cats (resistance)
- Overdose treatment
Benzodiazepines
- Minor tranquilizers, controlled substances
- Rapid onset of action
- Short duration of action
- May produce opposite effect in young, healthy animals
Effects and Adverse Effects of Benzodiazepines
- Calming and antianxiety in old or ill patients
- Anticonvulsant
- Disorientation and excitement in young dogs
- Dysphoria/aggression in cats
- Muscle fasciculations in horses
- Ataxia or recumbency in large animals
- Few cardiopulmonary effects
- Skeletal muscle relaxation
- Pain on IM injection of diazepam
Alpha2-Adrenoceptor Agonists
- Noncontrolled agents
- Sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxation
- Large and small animals: intravenous or intramuscular
- Administered before minor procedures
- Reversed with alpha2-antagonist
Effects and Adverse Effects of Alpha2-Adrenoceptor Agonists
- Dose-dependent sedation
- Analgesia
- Agitation or aggression
- Muscle tremors in horses
- Cattle may lie down
- Initial hypertension, bradycardia, pale mucous membranes, then hypotension, decreased output, decreased heart rate
- Severely decreased heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, tissue perfusion
- Respiratory depression
- Muscle relaxation
- Vomiting
- Adverse GI effects
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypothermia
- Increased urination
- Premature parturition in cattle
- Sweating in horses
Use of Alpha2-Adrenoceptor Agonists
- Use with caution
- Monitor patients closely
- Avoid use in geriatric, diabetic, pregnant, pediatric, or ill patients
- Administer anticholinergics 10 to 20 minutes before
Alpha2-Antagonists
- Reverse the effects of alpha2-agonists
- Wide margin of safety
- Effects of overdose: neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal
Opioids
- Produce analgesia and sedation
- Anesthetic induction when combined with other drugs
- Classified as agonists, partial agonists, agonist-antagonists, or antagonists
- Most are controlled substances
- Administered through multiple routes
- Wide margin of safety
Commonly Used Opioids
- Agonists: morphine, hydromorphone, methadone, oxymorphone, fentanyl, meperidine
- Partial agonist: buprenorphine
- Agonist-antagonists: butorphanol, nalbuphine
- Antagonists: naloxone
Opioids: Pharmacodynamics
- Mimic endogenous opioid peptides: β-endorphins, dynorphins, enkephalins
- Analgesia and sedative effects: receptors in the brain and spinal cord: mu (μ), kappa (κ), and delta (δ) receptors
- Agonists: bind to and stimulate mu and kappa receptors (best for moderate to severe pain)
- Partial agonists: bind to and partially stimulate receptors
- Agonist-antagonists: bind to mu and kappa receptors but stimulate only kappa receptors
- Antagonists: bind to but do not stimulate mu and kappa receptors
Effects and Adverse Effects of Opioids
- CNS depression or excitation
- Excellent somatic and visceral analgesia
- Dose-dependent bradycardia and respiratory depression
- Panting
- Hypothermia or hyperthermia
- Salivation/vomiting
- Initial vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence followed by constipation
- Colic and sweating
- Increased responsiveness to noise
- Miosis or mydriasis
- Decreased urine production and urine retention
Use of Opioids
- Preanesthetic: agonists, partial agonists, or agonist-antagonists alone or in combination with tranquilizers or anticholinergics
- Analgesia: prevent and treat postoperative pain, neuroleptanalgesia
Neuroleptanalgesia
- Profound state of sedation and analgesia
- Wide margin of safety when properly administered
- Sedation for minor procedures
- Induction of general anesthesia
Opioid Antagonists
- Undesirable effects of opioids can be reversed
- Wake up patient following sedation
- Naloxone hydrochloride: IM or slow IV administration
- Naltrexone: used in wild animals, longer lasting
Effects of Opioid Antagonists
- Reversal of effects of opioid agonists, partial agonists, and agonists-antagonists
- Reversal can be complete in a few minutes
- Adverse effects are rare: sudden analgesia loss
Use of Opioid Antagonists
- Emergencies
- Overdose
- Reverse neuroleptanalgesia
- Reviving neonates delivered by C-section
Injectable Anesthetics
- Can cause unconsciousness
- Do not provide analgesia or muscle relaxation
- Must be used with other drugs to produce complete effects of general anesthesia
- Administered intravenously
- Examples include: propofol, etomidate, alfaxalone, and barbiturates
Propofol
- Ultra-short-acting, nonbarbiturate anesthetic
- Schedule IV drug
- Used for anesthetic induction and short-term maintenance in small animals, small ruminants, exotic animals, and neonates of all species.
- Used intravenously in boluses and CRI for treating status epilepticus in dogs and cats
Effects and Adverse Effects of Propofol
- Dose-dependent CNS depression, resulting in sedation to general anesthesia
- Transient excitement and muscle tremors during induction
- Bradycardia, decreased cardiac output, hypotension
- Respiratory depression, including apnea
- Prolonged apnea, decreased oxygen saturation, and cyanosis
- Muscle relaxation
- Antiemetic effect
- Decreased intracranial and intraocular pressure
- Pain on IV injection
Propofol Handling and Storage
- Shake thoroughly before use
- Poor storage characteristics due to bacterial growth in the ingredients
- Use aseptic technique
- Discard unused drug after 6 hours of opening
- 3-year shelf life if unopened
Alfaxalone
- Short duration of action
- Wide margin of safety
- Used intravenously for anesthetic induction and maintenance
- Used intramuscularly for deep sedation and light anesthesia in cats
- Schedule IV controlled substance
- Steroid molecule, works similar to other hypnotics
Effects and Adverse Effects of Alfaxalone
- Dose-dependent CNS depression
- Minimal cardiovascular depression
- Tachycardia
- Hypotension
- Respiratory depression, including apnea
- Muscle relaxation
- Excitement during recovery
Etomidate
- Administered only intravenously
- Start with ¼ to ½ calculated dose
- Adverse effects include vomiting and muscle contractions, which can be minimized with premedication
- Can be administered in repeated boluses for short-term anesthesia.
Barbiturates
- Large class of controlled drugs
- Use declined with development of new drugs
- Specific uses:
- Short-acting pentobarbital sodium: induce and maintain general anesthesia in lab animals, treat status epilepticus in small animals, and euthanasia agent.
- Long-acting phenobarbital: seizure control, occasionally sedative in dogs and cats
Dissociative Anesthetics
- Only ketamine is used in veterinary medicine
- Used alone for minor procedures or to facilitate restraint in cats
- Used with other drugs such as tranquilizers and opioids to induce general anesthesia
- Subanesthetic dose is used as CRI for analgesia
Dissociative Anesthetics Mode of Action
- Disrupts nerve transmission in some brain sections
- Selective stimulation in parts of the brain
- Decreases windup through NMDA inhibition
- Trance-like state, where the animal appears awake but immobile and unaware of surroundings
- All dissociatives are metabolized in the liver or excreted unchanged in the urine, so avoid use in animals with liver or kidney disease.
Effects and Adverse Effects of Dissociative Anesthetics
- Cataleptoid state
- Intact reflexes
- Eyes open, pupils central and dilated
- Normal or increased muscle tone
- Analgesia (somatic)
- Sensitivity to stimuli
- Nystagmus
- Increased heart rate, cardiac output, mean arterial pressure
- Decreased inotropy
- Apneustic respiration at higher doses
- Increased salivary and respiratory tract secretions
- Pain after IM injection
Use of Dissociative Anesthetics
- Administered intramuscularly or intravenously
- Wide margin of safety
- Useful in cats and horses
- Used in combination with tranquilizers for short procedures, anesthetic induction for intubation, chemical restraint in cats, immobilization of large and exotic animals, and pain control.
- No effective reversal agent.
Dissociative Anesthetic: Use of Guaifenesin
- Used with ketamine in anesthetic induction protocols, often with premedication of an alpha2-agonist or acepromazine
- Triple drip: GG, ketamine, xylazine is a common combination used in horses for maintaining anesthesia for less than an hour
- Administered intravenously rapidly until the animal is ataxic and after premedication.
- Smooth recovery.
Dissociative Anesthetic: Use of Guaifenesin
- Part of an anesthetic induction protocol in combination with ketamine
- Must premedicate, as guaifenesin may cause excitement or an increased risk of side effects without premedication
- Not used as a sole agent, as sedation and analgesia are inadequate for surgery.
Inhalation Anesthetics
- Examples include isoflurane, sevoflurane (halogenated compounds), nitrous oxide, and desflurane
- Enflurane is not used in veterinary medicine
- Halothane and methoxyflurane are no longer available
Inhalation Anesthetics: Halogenated Organic Compounds
- Isoflurane and sevoflurane are the most commonly used agents in this class
- Liquid at room temperature
- Stored in a vaporizer on an anesthetic machine
- Vaporized in oxygen that flows through the vaporizer
Halogenated Organic Compounds: Mode of Action and Pharmacology
- Liquid anesthetic is vaporized and mixed with oxygen gas
- The mixture is delivered to the patient via a mask or endotracheal tube
- Mixture travels to the lungs (alveoli) and diffuses into the bloodstream
- Diffusion rate is dependent on the concentration gradient (alveoli/capillary) and lipid solubility
- Concentration gradient is greatest during initial induction
- Distribution to tissues is dependent on blood supply and lipid solubility, which determines entry into tissues through cell walls
- Depth of anesthesia is dependent on the partial pressure of anesthetic in the brain, which depends on the partial pressure of the anesthetic in blood and alveoli
- Maintenance of anesthesia is dependent on sufficient quantities of anesthetic delivered to the lungs
Effects and Adverse Effects of Halogenated Inhalation Anesthetics
- Dose-related CNS depression
- Hypothermia
- Paddling, excitement, and muscle fasciculations during recovery
- Variable effect on heart rate
- Vasodilation and hypotension
- Decreased cardiac output and tissue perfusion
- Dose-related respiratory depression
- Hypoventilation, retention of carbon dioxide, and respiratory arrest
- Adequate to good muscle relaxation
- Depression of respiration in neonates
- Production of carbon monoxide when exposed to desiccated CO2 absorbent
Inhalant Anesthetics: Physical and Chemical Properties
- Key properties to consider include vapor pressure, partition coefficient, minimum alveolar concentration (MAC), and rubber solubility.
Vapor Pressure
- Tendency of an inhalation anesthetic to vaporize to its gaseous state
- Determines how readily an inhalation anesthetic will evaporate in the anesthetic machine vaporizer
- Dependent on the temperature and on the anesthetic agent
- Volatile agents have a high vapor pressure (e.g., isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane, and halothane) and are delivered from a precision vaporizer to control the delivery concentration
- All precision vaporizers are made to deliver only one specific halogenated agent
- Nonvolatile agents have a low vapor pressure (e.g., nitrous oxide) and are delivered from a nonprecision vaporizer.
Blood-Gas Partition Coefficient
- Measure of the solubility of an inhalation anesthetic in blood as compared to alveolar gas (air)
- Indicates the speed of induction and recovery for an inhalation anesthetic agent
- Low blood-gas partition coefficient: agent is more soluble in alveolar gas than in blood at equilibrium, resulting in faster induction and recovery
- High blood-gas partition coefficient: agent is more soluble in blood than in alveolar gas at equilibrium, resulting in a slower induction and recovery
- Determines the clinical use of the anesthetic agent, including induction (e.g., can a mask be used?), maintenance (e.g., how fast will the anesthetic depth change in response to changes in the vaporizer setting?), and recovery (e.g., how long will the patient sleep after anesthesia?).
Minimum Alveolar Concentration (MAC)
- Measure of the potency of a drug
- Used to determine the average setting on the vaporizer that will produce surgical anesthesia
- The lower the MAC, the more potent the anesthetic agent and the lower the vaporizer setting
- MAC may be altered by age, metabolic activity, body temperature, disease, pregnancy, obesity, and other agents present
- Every patient must be monitored as an individual.
Halogenated Organic Compounds: Isoflurane
- Approved for use in dogs and horses, commonly used in other species
- Most commonly used inhalant agent in North America
Halogenated Organic Compounds: Physical and Chemical Properties of Isoflurane
- High vapor pressure: need a precision vaporizer
- Low blood: gas partition coefficient: rapid induction and recovery
- Good for induction with mask or chamber
- MAC = 1.30% to 1.63%: helps determine initial vaporizer setting
- Low rubber solubility
- Stable at room temperature; no preservatives needed
- Maintains cardiac output, heart rate, and rhythm, with the fewest adverse cardiovascular effects
- Depresses the respiratory system
- Maintains cerebral blood flow
- Almost completely eliminated through the lungs
- Induces adequate to good muscle relaxation
- Provides little or no analgesia after anesthesia
- Can produce carbon monoxide when exposed to a desiccated carbon dioxide absorbent
Halogenated Organic Compounds: Sevoflurane
- High vapor pressure: precision vaporizer required
- Blood-gas partition coefficient: rapid induction and recovery
- Good for induction with a mask or chamber
- High controllability of depth of anesthesia
- MAC = 2.34% to 2.58%
Halogenated Organic Compounds: Desflurane
- Closely related to isoflurane
- Expensive
- Lowest blood-gas partition coefficient: very rapid induction and recovery
- Used with a special precision vaporizer
- MAC = 7.2% and 9.8%, making it the least-potent inhalant agent
- Eliminated by the lungs
Halogenated Inhalation Agents: Nitrous Oxide
- Used sparingly in veterinary medicine
- Gas is at room temperature; no vaporizer required
- Used with a flowmeter and mixed with O2
- Reduces MAC by 20% to 30%
Miscellaneous Anesthetic Adjuncts: Doxapram
- Analeptic agent
- Non-controlled substance
- Stimulates respiration and speeds recovery
- Used in neonate puppies and kittens after C-section
- Intravenous administration or sublingual drops (neonates)
- Mode of action: stimulates the central nervous system, including respiratory centers in the brain
Effects and Adverse Effects of Doxapram
- Wide margin of safety
- Can cause hyperventilation, hypertension, arrhythmia
- Lowers seizure threshold
- Must be used in the presence of adequate oxygen levels in the brain
- Can cause central nervous system damage
Use of Doxapram
- Repeat injections may be necessary
- Reverses respiratory depression from inhalant agents and barbiturates
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