Supplemental Oxygen Prevents Hypoxemia in Pigs (Sus domesticus) Chemically Restrained with Ketamine, Dexmedetomidine, and Diazepam

The study described here evaluated the efficacy of supplemental oxygen in preventing hypoxemia (pO2 < 80 mm Hg) in pigs chemically restrained with ketamine, dexmedetomidine, and diazepam. Twenty gilts (154.5 ± 4.8 kg, 250 ± 2 days old) received a combination of ketamine (2 mg/kg), dexmedetomidine (10 µg/kg), and diazepam (0.1 mg/kg) via the auricular vein. Following induction, animals were positioned in right lateral recumbency and assigned to receive either ambient air (ambient air group, n = 10) or 100% oxygen at 5 L/min via a nasal cannula inserted 16 cm into one nostril (oxygen group, n = 10). Heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, and rectal temperature were monitored every 5 minutes. Arterial blood samples were collected at 5, 15, and 30 minutes to assess blood gas and electrolyte parameters. Induction time, time to sternal recumbency, time to standing, and recovery quality were also recorded. All gilts in the ambient air group developed hypoxemia, whereas those in the oxygen group maintained pO2 > 80 mm Hg. Peripheral oxygen saturation values were consistently higher in the oxygen group, whereas HR, respiratory rate, and temperature did not differ significantly between groups. Induction and recovery times, as well as recovery quality scores, were also similar between groups. Intranasal oxygen supplementation at 5 L/min effectively maintained arterial oxygenation and prevented hypoxemia in gilts anesthetized with the ketamine-dexmedetomidine-diazepam combination.