Use of mechanical thresholds in a model of feline clinical acute pain, and their correlation with the Glasgow Feline Composite Measure Pain Scale scores.

Nicholls, Daniel

Abstract

Objectives
To evaluate the use of mechanical thresholds (MT), measured with the SMALGO, to measure pain, and to determine whether there was a correlation between MT and Glasgow Feline Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS–Feline) scores in cats undergoing spay surgery.
Methods
Client-owned cats undergoing flank ovariectomy were recruited. Pre- and postoperative pain scores were obtained using the CMPS-Feline scale in each cat by two independent investigators (A and B). MT were measured with the SMALGO, in the surgical area, pre- and postoperatively, only by investigator A. Each cat served as its own control for comparison of pre- and postoperative variables. Reliability statistics were used to assess the level of inter-observer agreement (A versus B) with respect to pre- and postoperative CMPS-Feline scores, while Spearman’s Correlation statistics were used to analyse the relationship between MT and CMPS-Feline scores.
Results
Twenty-nine cats completed the study. Preoperative MT (340 [108–691] g) were significantly higher than postoperatively (233 [19–549] g; P = 0.001). Whereas for CMPS-Feline scores, there were no significant differences between preoperative (2 [0–7] for investigator A and 3.2 ± 2.3 for investigator B) and postoperative (2 [0–10] for investigator A and 3 [0–8] for investigator B) for either investigator. Reliability statistics revealed that the level of inter-observer agreement with respect to CMPS-Feline was fair for the preoperative assessments, but poor for the postoperative evaluations. There was no correlation between MT and CMPS-Feline scores.
Conclusions and relevance
Although they did not correlate with pain scores, MT increased postoperatively. Assuming that, despite analgesia, susceptibility of the surgical area to mechanical stimulation would increase after surgery, this finding suggests that MT might be useful to assess feline surgical pain. The poor level of inter-observer agreement with respect to postoperative CMPS-Feline scores highlights the potential limitations of this scale.

Citation

Nicholls, D. (2021). Use of mechanical thresholds in a model of feline clinical acute pain, and their correlation with the Glasgow Feline Composite Measure Pain Scale scores. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X211035051

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 16, 2021
• Publication Date: Jul 30, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 4, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 9, 2022
• Print ISSN: 1098-612X
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X211035051