Effects of acepromazine maleate and morphine on blood pressure, electrocardiographic parameters, and conventional echocardiographic findings in healthy dogs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2025v46n5p1451Keywords:
Cardiac exams, Sedative drugs, Dog.Abstract
Electrocardiography and echocardiography are essential tools for the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic management of canine heart diseases, with echocardiography considered the gold standard for several conditions. In some cases, however, chemical restraint is required to perform these examinations due to aggression, stress, or respiratory difficulty. The aim of this study was to assess the cardiovascular effects of sedation with acepromazine alone or combined with morphine in healthy dogs undergoing electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluation. Sixteen dogs were randomly allocated into 2 groups: the acepromazine group (AG, n=8), which received 0.2% acepromazine at 0.05 mg/kg intramuscularly, and the acepromazine and morphine group (AMG, n= 8), which received 0.2% acepromazine at 0.05 mg/kg combined with 1% morphine at 0.5 mg/kg, both administered intramuscularly. Before sedation, animals were placed in lateral recumbency for baseline assessment (M0) of electrocardiographic and echocardiographic parameters, as well as systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure (SBP, DBP and MAP). The same assessment was repeated 20 minutes after treatment (M1). Both groups showed reductions in cardiac output, SBP and MAP. Additional effects were observed in the AMG, including reductions in aortic valve pressure gradient, E-wave peak velocity, heart rate and DBP, together with a prolonged QT interval on the electrocardiogram. In conclusion, both protocols proved effective for chemical restraint. However, acepromazine alone produced only a decrease in cardiac output on echocardiography, while other variables remained relatively stable. Thus, acepromazine alone has a less pronounced effect on electrocardiographic and conventional echocardiographic findings in healthy dogs.
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