In vitro evaluation of the efficacy of a veterinary dry heat fluid warmer

2024 AAHA Fluid Therapy Guidelines for Dogs and Cats

Fluids are drugs used in veterinary patients capable of producing beneficial therapeutic or inadvertent harmful effects within the body's intravascular, interstitial, and intracellular fluid spaces. The individualized design of a fluid therapy plan requires careful patient assessment and targeted selection of proper fluid types, administration routes, and rates, along with adjustments during therapy tailored specifically as per the individual patient's fluid requirement and therapeutic response. Personalized fluid prescriptions and vigilant patient monitoring help avoid patient morbidity from body fluid deficiencies, fluid excess, and electrolyte derangements and support better patient outcomes. These guidelines provide an overview of fluid dynamics within the fluid spaces of the body, describe various types of fluids and their uses, and outline recommendations for fluid administration for resuscitation, rehydration, and maintenance purposes. The guidelines also outline approaches to fluid therapy for anesthetized patients and reiterate the recommendations of reduced fluid rates in this population of patients. Additionally, the guidelines include practical fluid therapy strategies for patients with various common disorders. The goal of these guidelines is to help veterinary professionals safely and effectively prescribe and administer fluid therapy for canine and feline patients.

Effect of prewarmed crystalloid fluids and an in-line fluid warming device on fluid outflow temperatures at ambient temperatures of 21-22°C and 3.5°C

Equine veterinarians frequently treat patients in non-climate-controlled (i.e., hospitalized) settings. In colder environments, intravenous (IV) fluid administration can contribute to patient hypothermia. The objective of this study was to evaluate three IV fluid warming mechanisms to determine their effect on fluid outflow temperatures at ambient temperatures of 21-22°C and 3.5°C. In this study, fluid outflow temperatures were measured using three warming mechanisms: (1) pre-warmed fluids at 42°C, (2) an in-line warming device placed 163 cm away from the Luer-lock fluid line adaptor (location 1) on the fluid line, and (3) an in-line warming device placed 88 cm away from the Luer-lock fluid line adaptor (location 2) on the fluid line. These warming mechanisms were compared to outflow temperatures measured using no warming mechanism at ambient temperatures of 21-22°C and 3.5°C with flow rates of ∼12 L/hour (gravity flow bolus) and 999 mL/hour. All outflow temperatures were measured with a thermistor. At ∼12L/hour, the use of pre-warmed fluids increased outflow temperatures at both ambient temperatures of 21-22°C and 3.5°C ambient temperatures and an in-line warming device placed at location 1 significantly increased outflow temperatures in 3.5°C ambient temperatures. At 999 mL/hour, use of pre-warmed fluids or an in-line warming device, placed at either location, increased outflow temperatures at ambient temperatures of 21°C or 3.5°C.