Course Description
This course combines both theory and practical aspects of veterinary anesthesia for both small and large animals. Topics include the calculation of drug doses, pre-anesthetic patient preparation, administration of local anesthetics, sedatives, induction drugs and inhalant anesthetics, monitoring patients under general anesthesia, detection and management of anesthetic complications, as well as post-operative patient care and pain prevention. Knowledge and understanding of inhalant anesthetic machines and monitoring equipment will also be covered.
Enrollment is limited to students in the Animal Health Technology Program.
Course Content
The major topics in the course include:
1. The anesthesia machine and its component parts:
- Compressed gas systems
- Scavenging/waste gas evacuation
- Breathing circuits
- Circle breathing system
- Reservoir bags
- Carbon dioxide absorbent granules
- Endotracheal tubes
2. Patient assessment in preparation for anesthesia:
- Physical and temperament evaluation
- Pre-anesthesia tests
3. Anesthesia premedication:
- Sedatives
- Tranquilizers
- Analgesic drugs
- Sedative reversal agents
- Anticholinergic agents
4. Anesthesia induction:
- Induction techniques- mask induction
- Induction techniques-tank induction
- Induction techniques- injectable
- Injectable anesthetic induction drugs
- Endotracheal intubation
5. Anesthesia Maintenance:
- Inhalant anesthesia maintenance
- Injectable anesthesia maintenance
6. Anesthesia Support:
- The concept of controlled poisoning
- Fluid therapy
- Heat supplementation
- Ocular protection
- Assisted breathing
7. Anesthesia Monitoring Techniques:
- Cardiovascular monitoring
- Respiratory monitoring
- Species specific monitoring priorities
Learning Activities
This course includes 3 hours of classroom instruction as well as 2 hours of laboratory activity per week.
Means of Assessment
Quizzes 20-30%
Assignments 15-35
Attendance & Participation 10
Final Exam 20-35__
100%
Grades: A+ 95-100, A 90-94, A- 85-89, B+ 80-84, B 75-79, B- 70-74,
C+ 65-69, C 60-64, C- 55-59, P 50-54, F 0-49.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
- understand the function of both large and small animal inhalant anesthetic machines.
- operate an inhalant anesthetic machine for the delivery of general anesthesia to companion and food animals.
- understand the basic pharmacology of drugs used in implementation of local anesthesia, sedation and inhalant anesthesia.
- calculate sedative and anesthetic drug dosages for an individual animal.
- have a working knowledge of the routes of anesthesia drug administration used in veterinary medicine.
- monitor the depth of anesthesia.
- use the following anesthetic monitoring devices to detect anesthesia related problems:
- Esophageal stethoscope
- Doppler blood pressure monitor
- Oscillometric blood pressure monitor
- intubate companion and food animal species.
- understand the function of compressed gas delivery systems associated with the inhalant anesthesia machine.
- understand the occupational hazards associated with workplace exposure to anesthetic drugs.
- intervene during anesthesia emergency situations.
- exhibit a working knowledge of anesthesia emergency drugs.
Textbook Materials
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students
- Lake, T. Dosage Calculation for Veterinary Nurses and Technicians. Current ed., Butterworth Heinemann Publishing. (required).
- McCurnin, D.M. & Bassert, J.M. Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians. Current ed., Elsevier (required).
- McKelvey D., Hollingshead, W.K. Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Elsevier Press. Current ed.,(required).
- Wanamaker, BP & Massey, K.L. Applied Pharmacology for the Veterinary Technician 3 Current ed., Saunders-Elsevier (required).
- Romich, J.A., 2005. Fundamentals of Pharmacology for Veterinary Technicians. Thomson Delmar Learning. (recommended).