Banfield Releases Anesthesia and Analgesia Guidelines

For the past 15 years, Banfield Pet Hospital has supplied veterinary teams with free and publicly available guidelines on anesthesia in the veterinary hospital. The newest edition of the guidelines was released late last month.

Anesthesia and Analgesia for the Veterinary Practitioner: Canine and Feline offers new and updated anesthesia and pain management guidelines and protocols readily available for download. The goals of the guidelines, according to Karen Faunt, DVM, MS, DACVIM, vice president of veterinary quality and operations for Banfield Pet Hospital, are to improve “the safety of anesthetic procedures and the quality of pain management for the pets in our care.”

The revised guidelines offer updated protocols and dosing information as well as information on assessment, prevention, and treatment of pain in dogs and cats. “Providing high-quality medicine is at the heart of what we aim to do for every pet that walks through our doors,” Dr. Faunt said. “Banfield’s new anesthesia program was thoughtfully designed to support not only our hospitals but also thousands of other veterinary teams in delivering on that goal.”

RELATED:

• Anesthesia and Pain Management Resources for the Vet Tech
• Improving Anesthetic Safety During Anesthetic Events

The guidelines were developed by Banfield veterinarians, anesthesiologists, research analysts, and industry experts to help improve patient outcomes with regard to anesthesia. The new guidelines comprise 3 individual books:

• Anesthesia Quality, Medical Quality Standards, Equipment & Physiology
• Individualized Anesthesia & Analgesia Plan, Sedation & Immobilization, Induction, Monitoring & Recovery
• Protocols, CPR Guidelines, & Appendix

With the addition of these new guidelines, Banfield has also created more comprehensive resources, including:

• Medical Quality Standards: Practitioners have access to Clinical Essentials Huddle Cards, Best Practice Huddle Cards, and an Anesthesia Machine Checklist.
• Patient-Specific Tools: Practitioners can access the Dosage Calculator, which guides veterinarians in selecting equipment and medications appropriately for anesthesia, and a Monitoring Form, which helps the veterinary team capture the correct information.
• Job Aids: Practitioners can consult this program during each phase of anesthesia to improve concordance with the established guidelines.

Banfield’s website also offers a wealth of information on common preventive care topics, such as pet food myths, pet food labels, therapeutic diets, and pet food trends.

“At Banfield Pet Hospital, we are passionate about and feel a responsibility to share our insights and resources with the broader veterinary profession to help promote quality-care practices and build sustainable outcomes for pets,” Dr. Faunt said.