I. General Principles
A. It is better to be too light then too deep/dead.
B. When monitoring, don’t get into the habit of just doing the
vitals and writing the numbers every 5 minutes. Be constantly aware of what is going on. Things can go wrong. The
faster we react, the better to prevent serious/fatal problems.
C. Overall trends are more important than individual readings. That is even though the heart rate may still be in the normal
range, if it has been steadily falling for 15 minutes; the patient is on
too much anesthesia.
D. If the animal is too deep the first thing to do is turn off the iso.
E. “Sighing” the patient every 5 to 10 minutes can assist
ventilation. You do this by
closing the pop-off/plugging the bag and giving the patient a deep (up to
but not over 20 cm H2O) breath.
F. At the end of the procedure, turn off the iso., leave the pop-off
valve open and squeeze the bag until it is empty. Leave the patient on oxygen until it wakes up. The patient can be extubated when it swallows twice or sits up and
looks at you. Brachycephalic
dogs (squished faces) need to have their tubes left in for as long as
possible.
G. Premedication and pain control lower the doses needed for induction
and maintenance of anesthesia. Always
give all induction agents to effect even if the calculated dose calls for
more.
H. Know what drugs may be needed in an emergency and where they are
kept
i. Atropine
ii. Epinephrine
iii. Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate and Soludelta cortef
iv. Lidocaine
v. Diphenhydramine (Benedryl)
vi. Lasix and Mannitol
vii. Antisedin (Atipamazole)
viii. Naloxone |
