Ultrasound‐guided parasternal block in a cat undergoing median sternotomy for pulmonary lobectomy

Abstract

AbstractA 3.25‐kg, 1‐year‐old, European shorthair cat was referred for acute respiratory distress. A thoracic computed tomography revealed the presence of multiple pulmonary abscesses, and a median sternotomy for pulmonary lobectomy was scheduled. The cat was premedicated with methadone and dexmedetomidine, anaesthesia was induced with alfaxalone and maintained with isoflurane in 100% oxygen. Ultrasound‐guided parasternal block was performed before surgery with ropivacaine 0.5% (total dose 3 mg/kg). Rescue analgesia was needed only during abscess debridement and lung lobectomy. Postoperative pain was assessed every hour, using the short‐form Glasgow Feline Composite Measure Pain Scale. The cat required rescue analgesia (0.2 mg/kg methadone) 7 hours after the completion of the block. This case report describes the feasibility of ultrasound‐guided parasternal block in a cat undergoing median sternotomy, suggesting that it can usefully be added to a multimodal analgesic plan in the perioperative period.