Assistant Professor, Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery Texas A&M University, Texas
We hypothesized dexmedetomidine would decrease skin perfusion in healthy cats. Nine adult research cats were enrolled in a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled study. Treatment groups included 0.9% saline, 1-, 3-, and 5-mcg/kg dexmedetomidine IV. Perfusion and sedation score were recorded at baseline and 5-, 10-, and 15-minutes after treatment. Heart rate was recorded at baseline and 15-minutes. Laser speckle contrast imaging was used for perfusion analysis. Image acquisition was repeated 3 times for each time point. Mean speckle contrast (MSC) was recorded for each image. This process was repeated for each site, time point, and treatment group. All cats completed the study. Sedation score increased and heart rate decreased significantly compared to baseline and over time for all dexmedetomidine doses, but not placebo. There was no significant difference in baseline perfusion between groups for either site. There was no significant difference in flank nor limb perfusion following placebo administration. Flank perfusion was significantly lower following administration of all dexmedetomidine doses. There was no statistically significant difference in limb perfusion following any dexmedetomidine dose. Decrease in skin perfusion following dexmedetomidine administration is likely secondary to peripheral vasoconstriction. Study limitations include small sample size and use of healthy cats. Decrease in skin perfusion may not correlate with a decrease in healing. Veterinarians may wish to avoid dexmedetomidine use when perfusion is important for healing, as it decrease skin perfusion in some locations.
