The anaesthetic records of 1525 dogs were examined to determine the prevalence of postanaesthetic hypothermia, its clinical predictors and consequences. Temperature was recorded throughout the anaesthesia. At the end of the procedure, details coded in were: hyperthermia (>39.50°C), normothermia (38.50°C–39.50°C), slight (38.49°C–36.50°C), moderate (36.49°C–34.00°C) and severe hypothermia (<34.00°C). Statistical analysis consisted of multiple regression to identify the factors that are associated with the temperature at the end of the procedure. Before premedication, the temperature was 38.7 ± 0.6°C (mean ± sd). At 60, 120 and 180 minutes from induction, the temperature was 36.7 ± 1.3°C, 36.1 ± 1.4°C and 35.8 ± 1.5°C, respectively. The prevalence of hypothermia was: slight, 51.5 per cent (95 per cent CI 49.0 to 54.0 per cent); moderate, 29.3 per cent (27.1–31.7 per cent) and severe: 2.8% (2.0–3.7%). The variables that associated with a decrease in the temperature recorded at the end of the anaesthesia were: duration of the preanesthetic time, duration of the anaesthesia, physical condition (ASA III and ASA IV dogs showed lower temperatures than ASA I dogs), the reason for anaesthesia (anaesthesia for diagnostic procedures or thoracic surgery reduce the temperature when compared with minor procedures), and the recumbency during the procedure (sternal and dorsal recumbencies showed lower temperatures than lateral recumbency). The temperature before premedication and the body surface (BS) were associated with a higher temperature at the end of the anaesthesia, and would be considered as protective factors.

A retrospective study of 275 anaesthetic records of cats was undertaken to examine the prevalence of postanaesthetic hypothermia, its clinical predictors and consequences. Temperature was recorded throughout anaesthesia. The temperature reached at the end was classified as hyperthermia (>39.50°C), normothermia (38.50 to 39.50°C), slight hypothermia (38.49 to 36.50°C), moderate hypothermia (36.49 to 34.00°C) or severe hypothermia (<34.00°C). Statistical analysis consisted of multiple regression to identify the factors that affect the temperature at the end of the procedure. Before premedication, the mean (sd) temperature was 38.2 (1.0)°C. At 60, 120 and 180 minutes from induction, the temperature was 35.4 (1.4)°C, 35.0 (1.5)°C and 34.6 (1.5)°C, respectively. The prevalence of hypothermia was slight 26.5 per cent (95 per cent CI 21.7 to 32.0 per cent), moderate 60.4 per cent (95 per cent CI 54.5 to 66.0 per cent) and severe 10.5 per cent (95 per cent CI 7.4 to 14.7 per cent). The variables associated with a decrease in the temperature recorded at the end of anaesthesia were the duration of anaesthesia, the reason for anaesthesia (abdominal and orthopaedic surgeries significantly reduced the temperature when compared with minor procedures) and the anaesthetic risk (high‐risk cats showed lower temperatures than low‐risk cats). The temperature before premedication was associated with an increase in the final temperature.

It is almost 20 years since the largest observational, multicentre study evaluating the risks of mortality associated with general anaesthesia in horses. We proposed an internet-based method to collect data (cleaned and analysed with R) in a multicentre, cohort, observational, analytical, longitudinal and prospective study to evaluate peri-operative equine mortality. The objective was to report the usefulness of the method, illustrated with the preliminary data, including outcomes for horses seven days after undergoing general anaesthesia and certain procedures using standing sedation. Within six months, data from 6701 procedures under general anaesthesia and 1955 standing sedations from 69 centres were collected. The results showed (i) the utility of the method; also, that (ii) the overall mortality rate for general anaesthesia within the seven-day outcome period was 1.0%. In horses undergoing procedures other than exploratory laparotomy for colic (“noncolics”), the rate was lower, 0.6%, and in “colics” it was higher, at 3.4%. For standing sedations, the overall mortality rate was 0.2%. Finally, (iii) we present some descriptive data that demonstrate new developments since the previous CEPEF2. In conclusion, horses clearly still die unexpectedly when undergoing procedures under general anaesthesia or standing sedation. Our method is suitable for case collection for future studies.

Background: Ensuring patient safety during small animal anaesthesia is crucial. This study aimed to assess anaesthetic‐related deaths in dogs globally, identify risks and protective factors and inform clinical practice. Methods: This prospective cohort multicentric study involved 55,022 dogs from 405 veterinary centres across various countries. Data on anaesthesia‐related deaths from premedication to 48 hours post‐extubation were collected. Logistic regression was used to analyse patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, procedure type and anaesthetic drugs used. Results: Anaesthetic‐related mortality was 0.69%. Most deaths occurred postoperatively (81%). Age, obesity and a higher ASA classification score were associated with increased mortality. Urgent procedures, non‐urgent but unscheduled anaesthesias and short procedures also had higher mortality. Some sedatives, systemic analgesics, hypnotics and the use of locoregional anaesthesia were linked to a decrease in mortality. Limitations: The limitations of the study include the non‐randomised sample, potential selection bias, lack of response rate quantification, variable data quality control, subjectivity in classifying causes of death and limited analysis of variables. Conclusion: Careful patient evaluation, drug selection and monitoring can be associated with reduced mortality. These findings can be used to develop guidelines and strategies to improve patient safety and outcomes. Further research is needed to refine protocols, enhance data quality systems and explore additional risk mitigation measures.