Butorphanol or a Combination of Ketamine and Xylazine Do Not Interfere With Arrhythmogenic Parameters in Agoutis (Dasyprocta prymnolopha) Obtained Through High-Resolution Electrocardiogram.
Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology July 1, 2025 Charlys Rhands Coelho de Moura, Hermínio José da Rocha Neto, Regina Lucia Dos Santos Silva et al.
In non-sedated agoutis, a medium-sized wild rodent, the QRS duration measured by high-resolution electrocardiography was 93.25 ± 9.51 ms. Sedation with ketamine-xylazine decreased QRS duration, while butorphanol increased it. Neither sedation protocol altered the late potentials (LAS < 40 μV) or root-mean-square voltage (RMS). The spatial QRS-T angle (sQRST) in non-sedated animals was 54.20° ± 43.63; ketamine-xylazine increased it to 102.87° ± 53.57, whereas butorphanol caused no change. Both sedation protocols mildly and similarly reduced systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures compared to physical restraint. The sedation protocols did not interfere with high-resolution electrocardiogram values and produced only minimal changes in vectorcardiographic data and blood pressure.