Confirmation of epidural anesthesia with bupivacaine in cats by infrared thermographic inagining and SEP

In this study, the usability of electromyelography and infrared thermography was tested to confirm the success of epidural anesthesia. The material of the study was 20 2-5 years old and 3-4 kg mongrel cats, which were brought to Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Animal Hospital for ovariohysterectomy and castration, were in class I according to ASA classification, and no hind limb or spine fracture and cardiovascular disease were detected in the clinical examination, and the cats were randomly divided into 2 groups as experimental and control groups. Cats were intubated and placed under inhalation anesthesia in the anesthesia device. SEP recordings were obtained from L7-S1, L6-L7, L6-L5 and L5-L4 intervals before epidural injection. Before epidural injection, infrared thermographic images and rectal temperature were taken from a distance of 50 cm where the areas where surface temperatures were to be measured were clearly visible. Following asepsis and antisepsis, 0.5% bupivacaine in the experimental group and saline in the control group were injected from the lumbosacral region. Infrared thermograms and rectal temperature were taken from each cat 7 times (0.min, 5.min, 10.min, 15.min, 20.min, 25.min and 30.min) for 30 minutes at 5 min intervals after injection. After the last infrared thermogram was recorded, post-epidural SEP was recorded. Rectal temperature values decreased gradually in all cats throughout the anesthesia period and no difference was observed between the groups. A decrease in potential duration and an increase in latency values were recorded in 10 cats with epidural 0.5% bupivacaine administration compared to 10 cats with epidural saline administration. Although there were only statistically significant values , the amplitude values were not found to be kinetically significant. No clinically or statistically significant difference was observed in the infrared thermograms taken before epidural injection and 5 minutes after epidural injection in both groups.