Hypothermia During General Anesthesia Interferes with Pain Assessment in Laboratory Rats (Rattus norvegicus).

ABSTRACT: Accurate pain assessment methods are necessary to ensure animal welfare and reliable data collection in animal research. The Rat Grimace Scale (RGS), a facial expression pain scale, allows effective identification of pain. However, the potential confounds of this method remain mostly unexplored. General anesthesia, which is used in many laboratory procedures, suppresses thermoregulation and results in hypothermia. We investigated the effects of isoflurane-induced hypothermia on RGS scores. Twenty (10 male and 10 female) Sprague-Dawley rats each received 30 min of anesthesia, followed by 30 min of observation after the return of sternal recumbency. Rats were randomized to receive warming with an electric heating pad or no warming during both periods. Unwarmed rats became hypothermic within

SUBMITTER: Klune CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7604685 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature