General Anesthetics Commonly Used for Laboratory Animals

Abstract

General anesthetics used for laboratory animals are mostly controlled drugs, and are subject to strict supervision by the competent government agency in China. Many general anesthetics recommended in the literature are either unavailable or difficult to procure/access in the market, resulting in limited options for clinical use. Furthermore, not all laboratory veterinarians have practical experience in species-specific anesthetic selection and use. Owing to these factors, general anesthesia presents a common institutional challenge in animal surgical programs and serves as a bottleneck that restricts the sustainable development of biomedical industries working with laboratory animal species. This article summarizes the pharmacological properties of common general anesthetics and provides suggestions for general anesthesia in different laboratory animal species.

Keywords

• laboratory animal
• general anesthesia
• anesthetics