Dissociative anesthesia results in stressful and long recovery periods in monkeys and use
of injectable anesthetics in medical research has to be refined. Propofol has promoted more
pleasure wake up from anesthesia. The objectives of this study were to investigate the use of
intravenous anesthetic propofol, establishing the required infusion rate to maintain surgical
anesthetic level and comparing it to tiletamine-zolazepam anesthesia in Sapajus apella. Eight
healthy capuchin monkeys, premedicated with midazolam and meperidine, were anesthetized
with propofol (PRO) or tiletamine-zolazepam (TZ) during 60 minutes. Propofol was infused
continually and rate was titrated to effect and tiletamine-zolazepam was given at 5mg/kg IV
bolus initially and repeated at 2.5mg/kg IV bolus as required. Cardiopulmonary parameters,
arterial blood gases, cortisol, lactate and quality and times to recovery were determined. Recovery
quality was superior in PRO. Ventral recumbency (PRO = 43.0?21.4 vs TZ = 219.3?139.7 min)
and normal ambulation (PRO = 93?27.1 vs TZ = 493.7?47.8 min) were faster in PRO (p<0.05).
Cardiopulmonary effects did not have marked differences between groups. Median for
induction doses of propofol was 5.9mg/kg, varying from 4.7 to 6.7mg/kg, Mean infusion
rate was 0.37?0.11mg/kg/min, varying during the one-hour period. In TZ, two animals
required three and five extra doses. Compared to tiletamine-zolazepam, minor post-anesthetic
adverse events should be expected with propofol anesthesia due to the faster and superior
anesthetic recovery.
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