New veterinary certificate in anesthesia and sedation is launched

Photo: FON's Fasai/Adobe Stock

A new veterinary certificate in anesthesia and sedation is now available for veterinary professionals. The Foundations of Anesthesia and Sedation Veterinary Certificate program was created to help improve anesthesia competency in veterinary practices across the United States, according to Parnell, a veterinary pharmaceutical company and codeveloper of the program.¹

The self-paced program contains 10 modules with the following topics²:

• Discussing Sedation and General Anesthesia with Pet Owners
• Sedation
• Pain
• Anatomy of an Anesthesia Machine
• Anesthesia Machine Setup
• Airway Maintenance
• General Anesthesia
• Patient Handling and Monitoring Under Anesthesia
• Introductory Pharmacology
• Basic Math for Anesthesia

The program, which was developed in collaboration with IGNITE Veterinary Solutions—a veterinary learning company—also includes 7 downloadable in-clinic resources, 4 videos, and 10 quizzes, with participants earing RACE-approved continuing education (CE) hours.² According to the company, the certificate program addresses the lack of standardized and accessible anesthesia training for veterinary professionals.¹ According to Parnell, the certificate program was developed by board-certified veterinarians.

"We understand the complex demands veterinary professionals face in their anesthesia protocols and we're committed to ensuring they not only have access to our products but feel confident using them in practice," Chelsie Estey MSc, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology), vice president of US Pet Care, Parnell, said in a company release.¹ "We've created a comprehensive learning experience that enables veterinary teams to feel comfortable with anesthesia and sedation while building long-term expertise and earning 10 RACE-approved CE credits."

A study on anesthetic mortality in dogs

A 2023 study assessing anesthetic-related deaths in dogs throughout the world found that 81% of anesthetic-related deaths happened postoperatively.³ According to the study’s findings, which looked at a cohort of 55,022 dogs from 405 veterinary centers from various countries, the percentage of anesthetic-related deaths in the group studied was 0.69%.³

Factors including age, obesity, and a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification—which subjectively assesses a patient’s overall health based on five classes—were linked to a higher rate of mortality, according to the study’s authors. Urgent and short procedures were also found to have an increased mortality, as well as non-urgent but unscheduled anesthesia. Meanwhile, lower mortality risk was linked to some sedatives, systemic analgesics, hypnotics, and the use of locoregional anesthesia.³

“Careful patient evaluation, drug selection and monitoring can be associated with reduced mortality,” wrote the authors of the study.¹ “These findings can be used to develop guidelines and strategies to improve patient safety and outcomes. Further research is needed to refine protocols, enhance data quality systems and explore additional risk mitigation measures,”

References

1. Parnell introduces new veterinary certificate in anesthesia and sedation. News release. Parnell. January 21, 2025. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/parnell-introduces-new-veterinary-certificate-in-anesthesia-and-sedation-302355607.html
2. Foundations of Anesthesia & Sedation Veterinary Certificate. Parnell. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://parnell.com/products/petcare/foundations-of-anesthesia-sedation-veterinary-certificate
3. Redondo JI, Otero PE, Martínez‐Taboada F, Doménech L, Hernández‐Magaña EZ, Viscasillas J. Anaesthetic mortality in dogs: A worldwide analysis and risk assessment. Veterinary Record. 2023;195(1). doi:10.1002/vetr.3604