Cardiovascular effects of intravenous vatinoxan (MK-467) in medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam anaesthetised red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Objective To determine the effect of intravenous vatinoxan administration on bradycardia, hypertension and level of anaesthesia induced by medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam in red deer (Cervus elaphus). Study design and animals A total of 10 healthy red deer were enrolled in a randomized, controlled, experimental, crossover study. Methods Deer were administered a combination of 0.1 mg kg-1 medetomidine hydrochloride and 2.5 mg kg-1 tiletamine-zolazepam intramuscularly, followed by 0.1 mg kg-1 vatinoxan hydrochloride or equivalent volume of saline intravenously (IV) 35 minutes after anaesthetic induction. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), respiration rate (fR), end-tidal CO2 (PE′CO2), arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), rectal temperature (RT) and level of anaesthesia were assessed before saline/vatinoxan administration (baseline) and at intervals for 25 minutes thereafter. Differences within treatments (change from baseline) and between treatments were analysed with linear mixed effect models (p