Effect of Epidural Anesthesia with Lidocaine and Bupivacaine on Gastrointestinal Transit Time in Healthy Dogs

Objective- To evaluate the effect of epidural anesthesia with lidocaine and bupivacaine on transit time of barium sulfate contrast medium through gastrointestinal (GI) tracts in healthy dogs. Design- Prospective, randomized experimental study. Animals-Five healthy mixed breed male dogs with 19.2±7.8 months age and 19.9±3.3 kg weight Procedure- The animals received one of the treatments of saline (SAL), lidocaine (LID; 4 mg/kg; 20 mg/mL), and bupivacaine (BUP; 1 mg/kg; 5 mg/mL) in epidural space, randomly. The total volume of all injections was adjusted with normal saline to 0.22 mL/kg. All the dogs received the three treatments with at least one week interval. After oral administration of barium sulfate (3 mL/kg), serial left lateral radiographs were taken at 0, 20, 40, and 60 minutes and then every one hour till reaching the contrast medium to the colon. Thereafter, radiographs were obtained every 24 hours until the full evacuation of the contrast medium from the GI tract was seen. Results- The time to the onset of gastric emptying was significantly lower in LID and BUP compared to SAL (p<0.05). The time to the completion of gastric emptying, reaching the contrast medium to the colon, and full evacuation of the contrast medium from the GI were not significantly different among groups (p>0.05). Conclusion and Clinical Relevance- Epidural anesthesia with lidocaine and bupivacaine could reduce the onset of gastric emptying of barium sulfate contrast medium in healthy dogs.