COMPARISON OF AXILLARY, RECTAL, AND ESOPHAGEAL THERMOMETRY IN ANESTHETIZED LARGE FLYING FOXES (PTEROPUS VAMPYRUS)

Hypothermia is a common potentially serious complication of veterinary anesthesia, particularly affecting species with a large body surface area-to-mass ratio, such as Chiroptera. There are limited options for monitoring temperature in bats, with size being a significant limiting factor. This study evaluated three methods of temperature measurement-esophageal, rectal, and axillary-in a convenience sample of nine apparently healthy anesthetized large flying foxes (Pteropus vampyrus). At the time of anesthetic induction and every 5 min until recovery, rectal and esophageal temperatures were recorded. At the same time points, a temperature was obtained in the nonhaired axillary fold by using an infrared thermometer. There were significant differences in the mean temperatures obtained between sites at each time interval (P < 0.05). Esophageal temperature was consistently the lowest, with axillary and rectal temperature averaging -15 and -17°C (5.1 and 1.3°F) higher, respectively. Esophageal measurements correlated strongly with rectal temperatures (P < 0.0001), whereas axillary/esophageal and axillary/rectal correlations approached significance (P = 0.0519 and P = 0.0562, respectively). Esophageal thermometry should be used for accurate body temperature measurement in anesthetized large flying foxes if practical, with the rectal modality remaining an option for monitoring trends over time. Further research is necessary to validate the use of axillary thermometry with an infrared thermometer for monitoring temperature trends in this bat species.