halothane

Re: halothane

Mark Hedberg — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 15:03:57 GMT

Interesting, thanks for the correction. I remembered that halothane sensitizes the myocardium...my pharma teacher is going to tie my shoelaces together if he reads this thread - I really should remember more of my uni lectures! :)

Re: halothane

David Mills — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 14:46:41 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]Wasn't that because iso decreases cardiac contractility or something? (i could be miles off, i admit!)

[/quote]

That does sound vaguely familiar!

[/quote]

It's the other way around - halo reduces contractility more and is more arrhythmogenic cf iso. Halo has advantages in cardiothoracics as it allows a more gradual return of cardiopulmonary function cf iso - meaning that sympathetic drive is reduced as patients wake up more slowly - there is supposed to be less of a sudden excitable phase. It is also useful, I think, in brachycephalics for these reasons. I suspect human CTs use it as reduced contractility allows less cardioplegic solution for open heart stuff, but could be wrong.

Re: halothane

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 10:31:47 GMT

[quote user="Ian Mostyn"]We use sevo for dogs but most of our cats are short ops on a triple combo of medetomidine / torbugesic / ketamine and as such only get oxygen and only rarely sevo. As the majority of our cases are not using sevo and we are only using it on occasional cases such as higher risk cases, we should be complying with the VMD rules.[/quote]

Speak for yourself! (I use gaseous anaesthesia more often than you!)

Re: halothane

Thomas Johnson — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 10:00:19 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]Wasn't that because iso decreases cardiac contractility or something? (i could be miles off, i admit!)

[/quote]

That does sound vaguely familiar!

Re: halothane

Ian Mostyn — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:44:16 GMT

[quote user="KMurphy"]

It was pointed out to my husband during a recent VMD inspection that sevoflo is actually only licensed in dogs. Technically, we should all be using isoflurane for cats and other species if we follow the cascade.

[/quote]

We use sevo for dogs but most of our cats are short ops on a triple combo of medetomidine / torbugesic / ketamine and as such only get oxygen and only rarely sevo. As the majority of our cases are not using sevo and we are only using it on occasional cases such as higher risk cases, we should be complying with the VMD rules.

Ian

Re: halothane

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 20:31:58 GMT

Wasn't that because iso decreases cardiac contractility or something? (i could be miles off, i admit!)

Re: halothane

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:00:09 GMT

As a student in 2003 I visited the Johns Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford for a day as part of my anaesthesia elective to see how anaesthetics are done in people. Their preferred inhalation agent for some cardiac procedures was halothane, can't remember why though...

Re: halothane

Rob Loxley — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:23:37 GMT

[quote user="KMurphy"]It was pointed out to my husband during a recent VMD inspection that sevoflo is actually only licensed in dogs. Technically, we should all be using isoflurane for cats and other species if we follow the cascade.[/quote]

Legally we should all be following the cascade

I'm surprised the VMD hasn't taken more of an interest given how many practices have moved to sevo vaporisers entirely, and the marketing drive by Abbott to use sevo as a first line, 'off label' in cats - they're a big company and it's hardly a cheap drug so why not do the work and get it licensed?

Re: halothane

Peter Taylor — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:00:08 GMT

Hi Patrick,

I work for the other Veterinary W/saler (Centaur Services) we are also out of stock of Halothane RM/Vet 250ml's we are told that it is a manufactures problem and they can not advice when this product will come back into stock.

Hope this helps?

Re: halothane

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:11:41 GMT

Also does anyone know where I can buy a BL car..............vinyl LPs..................a ra-ra skirt................... jackets with shoulder pads.....................and the address of a hairdresser who still styles with rollers? I'm feeling nostalgic

Wynne

Re: halothane

Bob Russell — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:03:13 GMT

Price of Sevo is a bit of a shock! Will wait a bit I think!

Re: halothane

Michael Woodhouse — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 14:38:36 GMT

Patrick, just had to ring them myself so I asked if they had any Halothane whilst I was on the phone. They do not. (Henry Schein that is)

Re: halothane

KMurphy — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 14:36:45 GMT

Re: halothane

patrick murphy — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:58:02 GMT

2 reasons. I like and am very pleased to use it and I thought until today that it was signifcantly cheaper. how wrong was I.

Re: halothane

patrick murphy — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:40:32 GMT

unbelievably, they would not a) tell me as it is a secret, and I do not have an account b) NVS could not ask them for me, c) I could not arrange an account by sending them something on headed paper, only if I sent them an e-mail. one hell of a company.

Re: halothane

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:56:00 GMT

...................and animals come round from anaesthesia so much better

Wynne

I haven't used halo since I bought this practice 16 years ago-changed to iso immediately I had control-changed to sevo a few years ago, and my nurse would have me slaughtered if I used anything else now

Re: halothane

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:23:05 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]Any dinosaurs out there who know where to buy washing powder suitable for a twin-tub? Don't laugh-twin tubs and halothane were both state-of-the art at the same time[/quote]

................ and clothes are so, so much cleaner these days!!

Re: halothane

Bob Russell — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:05:58 GMT

The safest anaesthetic is the one you are most used to!

I keep looking at sevo especially as vaporisers become cheaper (as does the sevo) but we do little exotics work but quite a few bunny's. As the price of isoflurane has plummeted there has not been a cost advantage for years.

As far as I know they are fairly equal in bu**ering up the ozone layer!

Re: halothane

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 09:54:15 GMT

Any dinosaurs out there who know where to buy washing powder suitable for a twin-tub? Don't laugh-twin tubs and halothane were both state-of-the art at the same time

Wynne

Re: halothane

Michael Woodhouse — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:58:23 GMT

[quote user="patrick murphy"]I have 2 iso and 1 halo vaporisors which I use as and when [/quote]

JAK marketing do a service exchange where they will take your old Halothane vapouriser and give you a reconditioned/recalibrated iso one, They then convert that to iso. Wasn't that expensive.

With the iso being about half the cost of halothane I expect you will recoup the money quite quickly.

[quote user="Ian Mostyn"]Birds and Rabbits tend to do MUCH better on isoflurane and especially sevoflurane than they ever did on Halothane. [/quote]

I haven't GA'd a rabbit this year and never have done a reptile. Not that much of a concern for dogs, cats and calves.

Re: halothane

Ian Mostyn — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:41:27 GMT

I was making no comment towards you as I have no idea what you are using it for. I was quoting the relevant post. It might be the best solvent for a model steam engine for all I know!! Why do you vary between agents? Is that not more complication than needed for your anaesthetic monitoring?

I still remember seeing practice and using ether, this was in 1998 so it took a long time to die out. That practice went straight to iso and missed halothane. After using it for over a year now, I haven't npticed any practical advantage of sevo over iso in dogs and cats but rabbits breathe much better with sevo and bird ga's are very quick now.

Ian

Re: halothane

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:37:03 GMT

Leslie pioneered halothane because it was the best anaesthetic of it's time-iso is better-sevo better still I too can remeber the bad old days-and am glad to leave them in the past

Wynne

Re: halothane

patrick murphy — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:35:12 GMT

I knew that I was going to get a few retorts so thank-you Ian. when I first came to the UK in 1982 I worked in practices with no inhalation, ether, and I got to see at Cambridge demonstrations by L. Hall of chloryl hydrate and chloroform in horses so there. I have 2 iso and 1 halo vaporisors which I use as and when .

Re: halothane

Ian Mostyn — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:27:17 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]There are VERY few indications for Iso over Halothane! Nothing wrong with it.

[/quote]

Birds and Rabbits tend to do MUCH better on isoflurane and especially sevoflurane than they ever did on Halothane.

Ian

Re: halothane

Bob Russell — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:45:16 GMT

Halothane was and still is a good anaesthetic.

We have used iso for the last 15 years but I wouldn't panic if I had to use halothane but I would check the scavenging system was working well!

I would be interested in hearing why it is still being used though!