Do heat and moisture exchangers in the anaesthesia breathing circuit preserve body temperature in dogs undergoing anaesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging?

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether the use of a heat and moisture exchanger (HME) preserves body temperature in dogs weighing <10 kg anaesthetised for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Study design: Prospective, randomised, clinical trial.

Animals: Thirty-one client-owned dogs.

Methods: Dogs were assigned randomly to a treatment group [HME (n = 16) or no HME (n = 15)]. Dogs were pseudorandomised according to the premedication they were administered, either dexmedetomidine or no dexmedetomidine. Induction agents were not standardised. General anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane vaporised in 100% oxygen delivered using a T-piece and a fresh gas flow of 600 mL kg^-1 minute^-1. Rectal temperature was measured before premedication (T1), after induction (T2), before moving to the MRI unit (T3) and at the end of the MRI scan (T4). Ambient temperatures were measured in the induction room, outside and inside the MRI unit. Data were analysed using a general linear model with T4 as the outcome variable. Linear correlations were performed between T1, T2, T3 and T4, and variables that predicted T4 were investigated.

Results: Sex, age and body mass were not significantly different between groups. There were no significant differences in rectal temperature between groups at any time point (group with HME at the end of MRI = 36.3 ± 1.1 °C; group with no HME at the end of MRI = 36.2 ± 1.4 °C) but at the end of the MRI, dogs administered dexmedetomidine (36.6 ± 0.7 °C) had a higher rectal temperature compared with dogs not administered dexmedetomidine (35.9 ± 1.6 °C) for premedication. Rectal temperature varied directly with ambient temperature in MRI scanning room and inversely with anaesthetic duration.

Conclusions and clinical relevance: Using an HME did not alter body temperature in dogs weighing <10 kg undergoing an MRI, but including dexmedetomidine in the premedication regimen seemed to preserve the body temperature during anaesthesia.

Keywords: dexmedetomidine; dogs; heat and moisture exchanger; hypothermia; magnetic resonance imaging.