Evaluation of a novel body temperature sensor (CORE) in dogs under general anesthesia following premedication with dexmedetomidine or acepromazine: A pilot study

Core body temperature monitoring in anesthetized dogs is a vital part of physiological evaluation. Depending on the procedure and patient positioning, consistent core temperature measurements can be difficult to obtain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and clinical validity of a wireless, non-invasive, superficial heat flux-based thermometric device (CORE, greenTEG AG, Rümlang, Switzerland). Three healthy beagle dogs were premedicated with either dexmedetomidine or acepromazine prior to induction with intravenous propofol and isoflurane maintenance. They were monitored every five minutes with pulse oximetry, non-invasive blood pressure, electrocardiography, and capnometry. Rectal thermometry and temperatures from the CORE sensor placed on clipped and unclipped skin over the jugular veins were measured every three minutes for up to 120 minutes following induction. Based on the correlation coefficient for repeated measures (rrm) and the Shrout-Fleiss intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), in dogs administered acepromazine, there was good, statistically significant correlation and reliability between rectal and clipped CORE temperatures (rrm = 0.81, P < 0.0001; ICC = 0.78) and rectal and unclipped CORE temperatures (rrm = 0.79, P < 0.0001; ICC = 0.85). In dogs administered dexmedetomidine, although values were correlated (rrm = 0.30, P < 0.0001), there was poor reliability (ICC = 0.28) between rectal and clipped CORE temperatures which improved if dogs were unclipped (rrm = 0.48, P < 0.0001; ICC = 0.88). Clinically acceptable Bland-Altman agreements were found between rectal and unclipped CORE methods. These preliminary results suggest that the CORE sensor may provide an alternative method for assessing core body temperatures in unclipped, anesthetized dogs.