Hemodynamic Assessment via Echocardiography During Propofol Anesthetic Induction in Healthy Dogs

Introduction: Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic administered as a bolus or continuous infusion during anesthetic induction and maintenance. Its pharmacokinetic characteristics include hepatic and extrahepatic metabolism with a rapid onset of action and short duration, which provides a smooth anesthetic induction without excitatory effects. Objective: To evaluate whether the isolated use of propofol in anesthetic induction in dogs changes the hemodynamic variables assessed via echocardiography. Study Design: Prospective clinical study. Animals: Twelve healthy dogs. Methods: The dogs were induced with propofol (dose/effect) at 3 mg/kg/minute, and echocardiographic evaluations were performed immediately before anesthetic induction (MB) and immediately after its interruption (MI), at the end of the supply of the anesthetic agent. Results: A significant reduction was observed between the values of the following hemodynamic variables: Ejection Fraction (EF%), which varied from 70% to 65% (p=0.011) between moments, and the Doppler Ejection Index (DEI), which ranged from 27.1 mL/beat/m² to 22.4 mL/beat/m² (p=0.044). The heart rate (HR) and the other studied hemodynamic variables showed no significant differences between the evaluated moments. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Propofol was a safe anesthetic-inducing agent, maintaining stable hemodynamic indices during anesthetic induction at the used rate.