Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe perianaesthetic complications in cats undergoing MRI of the brain and investigate if previously reported factors for anaesthetic mortality in cats are associated with an increased risk of anaesthetic complications in this population. METHODS: Records were reviewed of all cats that underwent MRI of the brain in a private referral veterinary hospital between June 2020 and January 2023. Cats that underwent additional procedures other than cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) sampling during the same general anaesthetic (GA) were excluded from the data set. Data were then collected regarding the signalment, presenting clinical signs, physical and neurological examination, GA protocol, complications experienced under GA and known survival time. Selected data were then compared between cats with an intracranial lesion and those without. RESULTS: A total of 43 cats were included in the study. In total, 41 cats experienced a perianaesthetic complication, which were subclassified as mild (n = 39) and severe (n = 15). Cats with intracranial lesions were more likely to experience severe perianaesthetic complications (odds ratio [OR] 12.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.7–56.7; P <0.001), to receive mannitol under GA (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.2–2.7; P <0.001) and to experience a delayed extubation (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.0–1.6; P <0.014) than those without intracranial lesions. Cats with intracranial lesions were more likely to have an abnormal neurological examination than those without intracranial lesions (OR 42.1; 95% CI 8.8–228.6; P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Cats that experienced perianaesthetic complications were more likely to have an intracranial lesion. Abnormal mentation on neurological examination was the best indicator of the likelihood of the cat experiencing perianaesthetic complications. Previously reported risk factors for anaesthetic mortality were not found to be associated with increased risk of anaesthetic complications in this population.