Avaliação do gradiente de temperatura centro-periférico em psitacídeos de pequeno e médio portes hígidos

Abstract

Intensive veterinary medicine has been developing rapidly in recent years. Avian medicine is also proving to be a rapidly expanding veterinary specialty. Due to the restrictions and difficulties that permeate an accurate circulatory evaluation in birds, it is interesting to have little or even non-invasive methods available for monitoring critically ill avian patients, thinking about the identification of signs of hypoperfusion, the prevention and early correction of imminent circulatory collapse. Delta T is a minimally invasive parameter capable of assessing tissue perfusion, making it possible to make early inferences about imminent hemodynamic anomalies and more reliably estimate the patient's prognosis. Our objective was to know the center-peripheral temperature gradient (delta Tcp) in healthy parrots and suggest reference values for small and medium-sized species belonging to this Order. Twenty-five birds of the Psittacara leucophthalmus and Brotogeris chiriri species were evaluated, which were subgrouped into Young Parrots (n=10), Adult Parrots (n=7) and Adult Brotogeris (n=8). The delta Tcp values were obtained through two forms of temperature measurement, referred to in the present study as transcutaneous and cloacal, in order to receive, evaluate the presence or absence of a significant difference between the measurement methods. The transcutaneous measurement method proved to be different in relation to the cloacal method, being considered by the authors to be unreliable to reality, since the core temperature measured transcutaneously was far from the cloacal temperature and, therefore, from the internal core temperature. Thus, the study was continued with only the values of delta Tcp obtained by the cloacal methodology. The general average of delta Tcp values of the birds studied was similar to the delta Tcp value for small animals in general (6°C), suggesting a delta Tcp of 6°C for adult birds of similar sizes to the tested species. When evaluated in relation to size, there was no statistically significant difference between the Adult Parrots and Adult Brotogeris groups, maintaining the suggested value of delta Tcp=6°C. In relation to age group, a statistically significant difference was evident between the Young Parrots and Adult Parrots groups, suggesting a delta Tcp value of 4.5°C for young birds. From the results obtained, it is possible to apply them in the constant evaluation of the critically ill avian patient, seeking an early identification of important hemodynamic alterations, with the objective of optimizing the treated approach in order to prevent the alterations from advancing.