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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / The Use of Percutaneous Thermal Sensing Microchips for Body ...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(12); 2274; doi: 10.3390/ani10122274

The Use of Percutaneous Thermal Sensing Microchips for Body Temperature Measurements in Horses Prior to, during and after Treadmill Exercise.

Abstract: Accurately measuring body temperature in horses will improve the management of horses suffering from or being at risk of developing postrace exertional heat illness. PTSM has the potential for measuring body temperature accurately, safely, rapidly, and noninvasively. This study was undertaken to investigate the relation between the core body temperature and PTSM temperatures prior to, during, and immediately after exercise. The microchips were implanted into the nuchal ligament, the right splenius, gluteal, and pectoral muscles, and these locations were then compared with the central venous temperature, which is considered to be the "gold standard" for assessing core body temperature. The changes in temperature of each implant in the horses were evaluated in each phase (prior to, during, and immediately postexercise) and combining all phases. There were strong positive correlations ranging from 0.82 to 0.94 ( < 0.001) of all the muscle sites with the central venous temperature when combining all the phases. Additionally, during the whole period, PTSM had narrow limits of agreement (LOA) with central venous temperature, which inferred that PTSM is essentially equivalent in measuring horse body temperature. Overall, the pectoral PTSM provided a valid estimation of the core body temperature.
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Publication Date: 2020-12-02 PubMed ID: 33276500PubMed Central: PMC7761216DOI: 10.3390/ani10122274Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The article presents a study on the use of Percutaneous Thermal Sensing Microchips (PTSM) in horses to measure body temperature accurately, noninvasively, and quickly during different stages of exercise. The study found PTSM, particularly when placed in the pectoral muscle, to be significantly correlated with traditional internal temperature measurements and thus concludes PTSM to be an effective method for measuring body temperature in horses.

Research Purpose and Methods

  • The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of PTSM in accurately assessing the body temperature of horses during different stages of exercise. This would help in better management of horses at risk of developing exertional heat illnesses.
  • In the study, the microchips were placed in different locations in the horses’ bodies including nuchal ligament, right splenius, gluteal, and pectoral muscles.
  • The recorded temperatures at these locations were then compared with the central venous temperature, considered as the “gold standard” in assessing the core body temperature.

Results of the Study

  • The study found strong positive correlations ranging from 0.82 to 0.94 between the temperatures recorded at these sites and the central venous temperatures across all stages of exercise. This suggests PTSMs can closely mimic the precision of the central venous temperature measurement technique.
  • The limits of agreement (a statistical measurement of agreement between two methods) between PTSM and central venous temperature were narrow during the whole period, suggesting that PTSM measurements can effectively serve as reliable readings of horse body temperature.
  • Among all locations, the microchip placed in the pectoral muscle was found most reliable in providing a valid estimate of the core body temperature. This could mean that it may be a good non-invasive, accurate option to measure body temperature in horses.

Conclusion

  • The study confirmed that PTSMs can be effectively used to measure the body temperature of horses before, during and after exercise. This technology introduces a non-invasive and precise way to monitor the health of horses, particularly those at risk of exertional heat illnesses during or after races.
  • Particularly, the pectoral PTSM proved to be the most accurate in replicating the central venous temperature.

Cite This Article

APA
Kang H, Zsoldos RR, Woldeyohannes SM, Gaughan JB, Sole Guitart A. (2020). The Use of Percutaneous Thermal Sensing Microchips for Body Temperature Measurements in Horses Prior to, during and after Treadmill Exercise. Animals (Basel), 10(12), 2274. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122274

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 12
PII: 2274

Researcher Affiliations

Kang, Hyungsuk
  • School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
Zsoldos, Rebeka R
  • School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
Woldeyohannes, Solomon M
  • School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
Gaughan, John B
  • School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
Sole Guitart, Albert
  • School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
  1. Kang H, Zsoldos RR, Sole-Guitart A, Narayan E, Cawdell-Smith AJ, Gaughan JB. Heat stress in horses: a literature review. Int J Biometeorol 2023 Jun;67(6):957-973.
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  2. Verdegaal EJMM, Howarth GS, McWhorter TJ, Delesalle CJG. Is Continuous Monitoring of Skin Surface Temperature a Reliable Proxy to Assess the Thermoregulatory Response in Endurance Horses During Field Exercise?. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:894146.
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  3. Kang H, Zsoldos RR, Skinner JE, Gaughan JB, Mellor VA, Sole-Guitart A. The Use of Percutaneous Thermal Sensing Microchips to Measure Body Temperature in Horses during and after Exercise Using Three Different Cool-Down Methods. Animals (Basel) 2022 May 14;12(10).
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