Plasma bupivacaine concentrations following orbital injections in cats

Objective

To determine plasma bupivacaine concentrations after retrobulbar or peribulbar injection of bupivacaine in cats.

Study design

Randomized, crossover, experimental trial with a 2 week washout period.

Animals

Six adult healthy cats, aged 1–2 years, weighing 4.6 ± 0.7 kg.

Methods

Cats were sedated by intramuscular injection of dexmedetomidine (36–56 μg kg^?1) and were administered a retrobulbar injection of bupivacaine (0.75 mL, 0.5%; 3.75 mg) and iopamidol (0.25 mL), or a peribulbar injection of bupivacaine (1.5 mL, 0.5%; 7.5 mg), iopamidol (0.5 mL) and 0.9% saline (1 mL) via a dorsomedial approach. Blood (2 mL) was collected before and at 5, 10, 15, 22, 30, 45, 60, 120, 240 and 480 minutes after bupivacaine injection. Atipamezole was administered approximately 30 minutes after bupivacaine injection. Plasma bupivacaine and 3-hydroxybupivacaine concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Bupivacaine maximum plasma concentration (C_max) and time to C_max (T_max) were determined from the data.

Results

The bupivacaine median (range) C_max and T_max were 1.4 (0.9–2.5) μg mL^?1 and 17 (4–60) minutes, and 1.7 (1.0–2.4) μg mL^?1, and 28 (8–49) minutes, for retrobulbar and peribulbar injections, respectively. In both treatments the 3-hydroxybupivacaine peak concentration was 0.05–0.21 μg mL^?1.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

In healthy cats, at doses up to 2 mg kg^?1, bupivacaine peak plasma concentrations were approximately half that reported to cause arrhythmias or convulsive electroencephalogram (EEG) activity in cats, and about one-sixth of that required to produce hypotension.