Med. Weter. 82 (11), 542-548, 2026
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| NIMET KILIÇ, NUH KILIÇ, BURAK BAYDOĞAN , CEREN YİĞİT, SEREN YİĞİT |
| Comparative evaluation of clinical and cardiovascular effects of different doses and administration routes of ketamine-medetomidine combination in rats |
| This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and cardiopulmonary effects of different ketamine-medetomidine combinations administered via subcutaneous (SC) and intraperitoneal (IP) routes in rats and to contribute to the development of safe injectable anesthesia protocols. Forty-eight male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were randomly assigned to six experimental groups according to anesthetic dose and administration route. Induction time, total sleep time, surgical anesthesia time, heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), and anesthetic reflexes were evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test, with significance set at P < 0.05. All anesthetic protocols successfully induced anesthesia without mortality or severe complications. IP administration produced significantly shorter induction times than SC administration (P < 0.05), with the shortest induction time observed in Group 4 (1.40 ± 0.21 min). Durations of total anesthesia and surgical anesthesia were significantly longer in Groups 1 and 3 (P < 0.05). Heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, and SpO2 values significantly decreased after anesthetic administration in all groups (P < 0.05). Cardiopulmonary depression and hypothermia were more pronounced in higher-dose and IP administration groups. Adequate surgical anesthesia was confirmed by loss of pedal withdrawal and palpebral reflexes. Ketamine-medetomidine combinations administered through both SC and IP routes provided reliable injectable anesthesia in rats. IP administration resulted in faster induction and deeper anesthesia, whereas higher doses produced prolonged anesthesia with greater cardiopulmonary depression. External thermal support and oxygen supplementation are recommended during prolonged anesthetic procedures. |
| Keywords: ketamine; medetomidine; rat anesthesia; cardiopulmonary parameters; injectable anesthesia. |