Inhalation anesthesia is preferable for recording rat cardiac function using an electrocardiogram.

The effects of inhalation anesthesia (2% isoflurane, sevoflurane, or enflurane) and intraperitoneal anesthesia with pentobarbital (65 mg/kg) were compared in rats using an electrocardiogram (ECG) and determination of blood oxygen saturation (SPO2) levels. Following inhalation anesthesia, heart rate (HR) and SPO2 were acceptable while pentobarbital anesthesia decreased HR and SPO2 significantly. This indicates that inhalation anesthesia is more preferable than pentobarbital anesthesia when evaluating cardiovascular factors. Additionally, pentobarbital significantly increased HR variability (HRV), suggesting a regulatory effect of pentobarbital on the autonomic nervous system, and resulted in a decreased response of the baro-reflex system. Propranolol or atropine had limited effects on ECG recording following pentobarbital anesthesia. Taken together, these data suggest that inhalation anesthesia is suitable for conducting hemodynamic analyses in the rat.