How to Handle Pre-Anesthesia
Pre-anesthesia is extremely important, says Khursheed Mama, DVM, DACVAA, professor of veterinary anesthesiology at Colorado State University, for coming up with an anesthetic plan for a veterinary patient.
Pre-anesthesia is extremely important, says Khursheed Mama, DVM, DACVAA, professor of veterinary anesthesiology at Colorado State University, for coming up with an anesthetic plan for a veterinary patient.
Pre-anesthesia includes getting a good physical examination and history. It's harder to get these during pre-anesthesia for cats, but a good auscultation of the heart and lungs would help if they allow you to do that. Dr. Mama believes in individualized care, so she says you should assess each patient, consider the surgical risks, consider other risks that may be inherent in the breed or because of its history, and then develop an anesthetic plan.
She also mentions the need to designate one veterinary team member to be that animal's caregiver during the pre- and post-anesthetic period, as well as during anesthesia.
