Veterinary Anesthesia Lab

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• discuss the pharmacology and administration routes of drugs used for analgesia, sedation and anesthesia;
• calculate sedative, anesthetic and analgesic drug dosages and describe their physiological effects;
• assess patient risk for anesthesia using the American Society of Anesthesiologists scoring system;
• choose appropriate anesthetic protocols according to patient risk;
• describe patient preparation for anesthesia including pre-sedation medication protocols;
• demonstrate safe medication preparation and draw up;
• set up, and safely use, inhalant anesthetic machines and breathing circuits;
• administer sedative, anesthetic and analgesic drug dosages;
• safely place and maintain an endotracheal tube in a dog or cat;
• use anesthetic monitoring equipment such as doppler and oscillometric blood pressure monitors, ECG, capnograph and pulse oximeter;
• assess patient anesthetic depth and stage of anesthesia;
• monitor vital signs and troubleshoot abnormal vital signs;
• provide patient support during anesthesia including fluid therapy and heat supplementation;
• safely demonstrate procedures for assisted breathing during general anesthesia;
• discuss patient recovery procedures and potential compiications;
• accurately record data onto anesthetic monitoring charts, logs and medical records;
• identify anesthetic emergencies and discuss the use of emergency drugs and equipment.