27 Nov 2024
Issues seen in 53.4% of cats, with hypotension, bradycardia and hypothermia among the most common.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
A feline patient at Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists.
A study has revealed anaesthetic complications in more than half of all cats undergoing neutering procedures, suggesting practices need to develop comprehensive monitoring protocols.
The study revealed complications in healthy cats included hypotension, bradycardia and hypothermia, as well as some of the factors that can cause them.
Findings suggest lower bodyweight increases the risk of hypothermia and hypotension, while a higher bodyweight is linked to an increased risk of bradycardia.
Medical records were studied of 1,019 cats anaesthetised for a neutering surgery between December 2017 and February 2021. Data analysed included use of preoperative medication, anaesthetic protocols and monitoring procedures.
Complications were documented in 53.4% of cats in the study, and while hypotension, bradycardia and hypothermia were the most common noted, hypocapnia, hypercapnia and tachycardia were also less commonly recorded.
In other findings, pre-anaesthetic medication affected complication incidence levels, with higher cases of hypotension in cats receiving acepromazine and higher cases of bradycardia in cats receiving medetomidine. Longer duration of anaesthesia was linked to increased cats of hypothermia, bradycardia and hypotension overall.
Jenny Brown, lead author of the study, said: “Our findings reveal anaesthetic complications are common, even in healthy cats.
“This study provides valuable insights that can help veterinary professionals to identify high-risk patients and tailor their anaesthetic monitoring to improve the overall welfare of our feline patients.”
Dr Brown, clinical director of advanced clinical services for CVS Group, conduced the study with Pamela Murison, professor of veterinary anaesthesia at the University of Glasgow.
The full paper, “Perioperative anaesthetic complications in healthy cats undergoing anaesthesia for neutering in first opinion practice” in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, is available to read online now.
