High-dose buprenorphine results in a greater occurrence of postoperative hyperthermia than morphine in a randomized clinical trial in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the thermoregulatory and analgesic effects of high-dose buprenorphine versus morphine in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. ANIMALS: 94 client-owned cats. PROCEDURES: Cats were randomized to receive either buprenorphine 0.24 mg/kg or morphine 0.1 mg/kg subcutaneously (SC) during recovery from ovariohysterectomy. Body temperature measurements were obtained before anesthesia, during anesthesia (averaged), at extubation, and 2, 4, and 16 to 20 hours postoperatively. Signs of pain were assessed, and demographic characteristics were compared between groups. The effects of treatment and time on body temperature, point prevalence of hyperthermia (> 39.2 °C), and pain scores were compared with linear or generalized mixed-effect models. RESULTS: Cats receiving morphine (vs. buprenorphine) were older and heavier (both, P ≤ 0.005). Other group characteristics did not differ between treatments. Cats receiving buprenorphine (vs. morphine) had higher postoperative temperatures (P = 0.03). At 2, 4, and 16 to 20 hours after extubation, the point prevalence of hyperthermia was greater (P = 0.001) for cats receiving buprenorphine (55% [26/47], 44% [21/47], and 62% [27/43], respectively) versus morphine (28% [13/46], 13% [6/46], and 47% [21/44], respectively). There were no differences in pain scores between groups or over time. Five cats receiving buprenorphine and 6 receiving morphine required rescue analgesia within the 24-hour period. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Administration of buprenorphine (0.24 mg/kg SC), compared with morphine (0.1 mg/kg SC), resulted in higher body temperatures without an apparent advantage with regard to analgesia during the first 20 postoperative hours than morphine. Opioid-induced postoperative hyperthermia could confound the diagnosis of fever from different sources.

A mind you can count on: validating breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness.

Mindfulness practice of present moment awareness promises many benefits, but has eluded rigorous behavioral measurement. To date, research has relied on self-reported mindfulness or heterogeneous mindfulness trainings to infer skillful mindfulness practice and its effects. In four independent studies with over 400 total participants, we present the first construct validation of a behavioral measure of mindfulness, breath counting. We found it was reliable, correlated with self-reported mindfulness, differentiated long-term meditators from age-matched controls, and was distinct from sustained attention and working memory measures. In addition, we employed breath counting to test the nomological network of mindfulness. As theorized, we found skill in breath counting associated with more meta-awareness, less mind wandering, better mood, and greater non-attachment (i.e., less attentional capture by distractors formerly paired with reward). We also found in a randomized online training study that 4 weeks of breath counting training improved mindfulness and decreased mind wandering relative to working memory training and no training controls. Together, these findings provide the first evidence for breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness.