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et al, 2007). There is a statistically significant association between a decrease in body temperature and prolonged recovery from anaesthesia( Pottie et al, 2007), and postanaesthetic shivering can increase oxygen consumption by up to 400 %, which can result in hypoxaemia( Mosing, 2016).
1.6 Methods of measuring body temperature
Patients under GA should have their body temperature monitored regularly, to minimise the chances and prevent the risks associated with hypo / hyperthermia. Measurement of core body temperature under anaesthesia can be done via various methods / locations, depending on the appropriateness for the type of condition / surgery the patient may have, including:
• Pulmonary artery
• Tympanic
• Oesophagus
• Bladder
• Rectum( Kim et al, 2022).
Pulmonary artery measurements are known to be highly accurate, especially in comparison to tympanum measurements, which are non-invasive and simple but not very accurate( Kim et al, 2022). Stilwell( 2018) found that when comparing tympanic and rectal measurements in dogs, there were differences in temperature of between 0.6 ° C – 2.2 ° C, and that out of 50 readings, only six were the same as the rectal temperature. Although commonly used in human medicine, the inaccuracy seen when using tympanic measurements in veterinary patients could be due to the different anatomy of the canine ear canal( Stilwell, 2018).
Animal specific non-contact infrared thermometers are available, however when compared with rectal and tympanic temperatures, they were found highly inaccurate, and so their use in clinical settings is not recommended( Hall, Fleming and Carter, 2019). Both rectal and oesophageal are methods of measuring core body temperature, however oesophageal probes can be difficult to insert, and the equipment needed is not always readily available, so rectal temperature is commonly used( Kim et al, 2022).
ANIM32126 – EBVN Project 12