The ocular bulb extrinsic musculature blocking by the administration of three atracurium doses in isoflurane anesthetized dogs under spontaneous breathing was compared. In a blind study, six dogs were premedicated with 0.1mg/kg of acepromazine, anesthetized with 5mg/kg of propofol, intubated and maintained in inhalation anesthesia with 1.5% of isoflurane in 100% of oxygen. Afterwards, they were submitted to four treatments (control, G25:25µg/kg of atracurium IV, G50:50µg/kg IV and G75:75µg/kg IV). Heart rate (HR), breathing rate (BR), CO2 extrated (ETCO2), arterial saturation of oxyhaemoglobin (SatO2) and ocular bulb centralization time were measured. ETCO2 in all animals were increased at 5min keeping high until 10min in G50 and until 20min in G75 dogs; this was the unique animal group that showed results above 50mmHg of ETCO2. CO2 was not reinhaled by any animal. It was observed an increase in BR until 40min and a considerable bradycardia after 10min in G75 animals; both returned to basal levels thereon. The centralization time was crescent, according the doses (G25: 38±13min; G50: 65±16.4min; G75: 78±27min), but no difference between G50 and G75. It was showed that G50 dogs took a content ocular centralization without intense and prolonged hypercapnia.
dog; atracurium; hypercapnia
