The dvm360® anesthesiology and pain management page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on the latest in veterinary anesthesia and pain management. This page consists of videos, interviews, articles, podcasts, and research on the advancements and developments of therapies for anesthesiology, pain management, and more.
July 8th 2025
The funding will support Gallant’s treatment for refractory feline chronic gingivostomatitis, which is in development.
April 29th 2025
Constant rate infusion Analgesia (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Constant rate infusion (CRI) analgesia is a way of providing pain control by ensuring that the blood levels of the drugs are held constant. In practice, it entails maintaining a venous access. This technique can be used during anesthesia as part of balancing the anesthetic technique and continued to the postoperative period.
Anesthetizing neurologic patients (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Whether you are faced with anesthetizing a patient with the potential of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) or a patient with a spinal cord injury, there are special anesthetic considerations that should be made. Each patient should be thoroughly evaluated and an appropriate anesthetic protocol should be formulated.
Alpha-2 agonists and analgesia (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011In the veterinary profession, ?-2 adrenergic receptor agonists (?-2 agonists) are either loved or feared; this is often determined by a veterinarian's familiarity with the drug. There is no doubt that ?-2 agonists have complex effects, but understanding ?-2 agonists increase options for analgesic use, as well as sedation.
Opioids: the good, the bad? and the future (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Synthetic opioids are powerful, useful tools to manage pain for one simple reason: Receptors for naturally-occurring opioids (endorphins, enkephalins) are distributed ubiquitously throughout the body and can be found in both central and peripheral tissues.
Assessment of post-surgical pain (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011It is now a settled matter that the adaptive capacities of animals, coupled with the innate biases of human observers, seriously impairs our ability to "know" which of our patients are in pain, how much they are in pain, and sometimes, even where they are in pain.
Multimodal analgesia: not "too many" drugs, rather a safe and effective synergy (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Pain can be protective, but through the stress response it may also contribute significantly to patient morbidity and even mortality. Anxiety may contribute directly to the hyperalgesic state through cholecystikinin-mediated "nocebo" effect.
Making the case for pain management in your practice-why and how (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011In the last 10 years, the veterinary profession has undergone what can only be described as a sea change in perspectives about animal pain and pain control. A 1993 evaluation of a veterinary teaching hospital surgical caseload revealed only 40% of patients that had undergone highly invasive, painful procedures (including orthopedic repair, thoracotomy, and intervertebral disc decompression) received any sort of pain control, and then only based on clinical signs.
Drug interactions: when they're beneficial and when they're harmful (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Veterinary pharmacology is increasing in complexity with advances in analgesia. A veterinarian's knowledge of drug interactions is critical to prevention of a potentially harmful event. Drug interactions are considered undesired increases OR decreases in drugs co-administered.
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Pain transmission is complex and pain itself is difficult to manage in some cases. While a standardized approach to pain management forms a cornerstone from which to work, there are a variety of analgesic options available with which to provide multimodal analgesia; many veterinarians already have some of these modalities on hand.
Recognizing and assessing pain in dogs (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Before improving quality of life for patients, a veterinarian must first understand the cause of a decrease in quality of life. Pain is universally accepted as decreasing quality of life but is fairly ambiguously defined; according the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.
Using inotropes and vasopressors in anesthesia (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Arterial hypotension is a common anesthetic complication. Perfusion of vital organs depends largely on arterial blood pressure. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) below 60 mmHg and systolic blood pressures below 80 mmHg can result in reduced perfusion of the vital organs. Oxygen debt can ensue in morbidity and mortality.
The use of adjuncts to inhalants for better anesthetic management (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Maintenance of anesthesia using an inhalant agent has been associated with cardiopulmonary depression. Some small animal patients are more sensitive to the cardiopulmonary depressant effect of inhalant agents.
Anesthesia for the geriatric patient (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011What is a geriatric patient? Geriatric patients are pets that have attained 75% of that species or breeds expected life span. Therefore, a 6 year old Yorkshire terrier would not be considered geriatric, but a 6 year old Irish wolfhound would fall under this definition.
Adjunctive pain meds: beyond NSAIDS and opioids (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011The framework of effective pain management systems rests solidly on the foundation of recognition/assessment, pre-emption, and using multiple modalities. Multiple modalities allow for intervention at several different places of the nociceptive pathway, increasing effectiveness and minimizing the need for high or protracted doses of any one particular drug.
Monitoring the anesthetized patients (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011There are many physiologic variables that can be monitored in anesthetized small animal patients. The major goal of monitoring an anesthetized patient is to ensure adequate oxygen delivery to the tissue. Appropriate oxygen delivery to the tissue needs the proper functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Myofascial pain syndrome: the next big thing (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Probably the most common condition associated with osteoarthritis, post-surgery and musculoskeletal abnormalities. Yet, it is rarely taught in veterinary university settings, few practitioners even know of its existence, all despite the fact that muscles compromise half of an animal's body weight.
What can I use for induction if propofol and thiopental are not available? (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011The practice of veterinary anesthesia has been impacted by the short supply of propofol and discontinued production of thiopental. Thiopental is officially in the "Discontinued Drug" list of the FDA. The company that used to make thiopental decided to stop production because of its stand against the use of this drug for lethal injections.