Influence of injectable anaesthetic combinations on blood gas tensions and acid-base status in laboratory rats.

Outbred Mol:SPRD rats were maintained in surgical anaesthesia for two hours by using five different drug combinations: 1) pentobarbitone, 2) ketamine + diazepam, 3) ketamine + pentobarbitone, 4) atropine + diazepam + fentanyl + fluanisone, 5) atropine + etorphine + acepromazine. Respiratory rate, arterial O2 and CO2 tensions, arterial pH, base excess, mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at set intervals from 30 to 120 min. from the initiation of anaesthesia. Atropine + diazepam + fentanyl + fluanisone caused no disturbance of acid-base balance, whereas the other drug combinations induced moderate to severe acidosis. Arterial blood pressure was reduced by all methods. Pentobarbitone and regimens including ketamine reduced heart rate, whereas combinations with etorphine and fentanyl caused a rise in heart rate.