Anaesthesia and Analgesia

The use of anaesthesia and analgesia allows for surgery and other procedures to be undertaken in laboratory animals without the distress and pain they would otherwise cause. Anaesthesia is used in a variety of circumstances, for example when disease models are developed, for instrumentation of animals, and for collection of research data. For rodents, induction of inhalation anaesthesia is most conveniently accomplished with the use of a clear Plexiglas induction chamber. Ketamine may also be combined with the mixed alpha-1/alpha-2-adrenerigc agonist xylazine, to achieve surgical anaesthesia in rabbits and rodents. Maintenance of anaesthesia requires continuous intravenous infusion. Ultra-short acting barbiturates such as thiopental, may be used to induce anaesthesia by the intravenous route, to allow for maintenance of anaesthesia with volatile agents. Anaesthesia poses a risk to the animal’s vital functions and consequently some form of monitoring must take place.