Feline surgery teams rethink temperature control beyond warming blankets

A Veterinary Vertex episode from AVMA Journals is spotlighting a simple shift in feline anesthesia care: temperature control may need to go beyond standard truncal warming blankets. The discussion centers on a randomized clinical trial in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy that tested warming or insulating the extremities in addition to routine body warming. In that study, cats with active peripheral warming had the slowest decline in core temperature, while passive insulation, such as socks on the feet, performed nearly as well and was easier to use in practice. The podcast also highlighted other factors tied to heat loss, including the cat’s starting temperature, ambient temperature in prep and surgery areas, and anesthesia duration. (veterinaryvertex.buzzsprout.com)

Why it matters: Cats are especially vulnerable to perioperative hypothermia because of their high surface area-to-body mass ratio, and guidelines note that hypothermia can delay recovery, increase discomfort, depress immune function, and raise wound infection risk. For veterinary teams, the takeaway isn’t that warming blankets are obsolete, but that a broader thermal strategy, started before induction and carried through recovery, may improve outcomes, especially in high-volume spay-neuter, shelter, imaging, and other settings where heating options are limited. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: Expect more discussion around low-cost “thermal care bundles,” including prewarming, shorter prep times, warmer room temperatures, and simple limb insulation protocols that practices can standardize. (veterinaryvertex.buzzsprout.com)