| As pet owners, we are all concerned about the | | | | make adjustments according to changing |
| risks associated with anesthesia and surgery. | | | | observations or expectations during the anesthetic |
| Anesthesia and surgery is a more exact science | | | | period. Without a doubt, one of the most |
| than you might expect. The safety of general | | | | important keys to the safe conclusion of an |
| anesthesia is dependent upon the anesthetic | | | | anesthetic event is understanding patient status. |
| agent, the equipment used, the methods of | | | | What we learn during your pet's history and |
| patient monitoring, patient status, and the | | | | physical help us identify the three greatest risk |
| expertise of the people involved. In fact, the | | | | factors: the presence of pre-existing illness, organ |
| safety of general anesthesia is dramatically | | | | dysfunction, or sensitivity on the part of an |
| improved by giving adequate attention to each of | | | | individual to a particular anesthetic agent. In |
| these areas. | | | | addition, we strongly recommend pre-surgical |
| To the doctors and staff of Research Pet and | | | | blood screens or profiles for all patients for all |
| Bird Hospital, nothing is more important than | | | | anesthetic procedures. In some cases, we are |
| taking steps to maximize the safety of a | | | | already aware of a pre-existing condition that |
| procedure. In fact, our core values demand that | | | | should be monitored by these tests. In other |
| we use only the safest anesthetic agents, precise | | | | cases, these tests may reveal a hidden illness or |
| delivery systems, intense patient monitoring, and | | | | problem that could increase the patient's |
| all measures available to improve the patient's | | | | anesthetic risk. Complications to anesthesia are |
| status to make the procedure a success. For us, | | | | rare, but some are serious and may result in |
| it is a mission. Our focus and intensity does not | | | | patient death. Under no circumstances do we |
| wane until the patient is fully recovered and ready | | | | want to jeopardize your pet's health if we feel |
| to go home. Anything else is a complete failure in | | | | the risk is too high. |
| our minds and hearts. | | | | Pre-surgical testing decreases the overall risk of |
| If you are planning to have your dog spayed, cat | | | | anesthesia and helps prevent unexpected |
| neutered, your bird's broken leg fixed, the mass in | | | | complications to anesthesia and surgery. This helps |
| your ferret biopsied, or the teeth in your rabbit | | | | to decrease the risk of anesthesia by identifying |
| floated, these procedures are performed under | | | | problems before the procedure, instead of finding |
| general anesthesia. Your pet's safety is our | | | | out about them afterwards. Typical tests are a |
| greatest concern. | | | | complete blood count (CBC) to identify hidden |
| Our goal is to minimize the risks associated with | | | | infection, anemia, potential bleeding problem, or |
| anesthesia. In order to make anesthesia as safe | | | | immune suppression. It also includes chemistry |
| as possible, we use some of the safest | | | | tests to avoid stumbling into situations where |
| anesthetic agents available. The use of precision | | | | inadequate organ function impairs anesthetic |
| vaporizers allows a constant and exact amount of | | | | elimination or increases the likelihood of |
| anesthetic to enter the patient and allow rapid | | | | complications. An EKG is a simple way to screen |
| adjustments of anesthetic depth and rapid | | | | patients for heart disease and potentially life |
| elimination of the anesthetic agent permitting quick | | | | threatening heart rhythm abnormalities. The |
| recoveries. Our anesthetic machines also deliver | | | | testing is designed to complement the doctor's |
| 100% oxygen to provide adequate oxygen | | | | assessment of patient status and risk of the |
| delivery to the tissues. | | | | anesthetic procedure. It is used to uncover |
| Our surgical nurses are the best in the business. | | | | undetected illness or to monitor known problems. |
| They are hand picked to take on this profound | | | | It provides valuable information that may prevent |
| responsibility. They understand this tremendous | | | | us from unnecessarily endangering our patient. |
| responsibility and they take it very seriously. We | | | | The likelihood that the findings will impact our |
| charge them with caring for the most important | | | | decision to perform a procedure in healthy adults |
| animals on the planet, your pet. To them, guiding | | | | is small, but this does happen and there is no |
| your pet through the procedure to a successful | | | | question those patients will be better off in the |
| conclusion is their single most important task. We | | | | long run with that information. In some cases, a |
| train them to be the best. They are so good, our | | | | decision is made to postpone the procedure and |
| doctors ask for their assistance on their own | | | | try to resolve the problem first. In other words |
| pets. Our surgical nurses are intensely trained and | | | | the pre-surgical testing decreases the overall risk |
| care so much that often it may seem they are | | | | of anesthesia and helps prevent unexpected |
| making too many recommendations. The reason | | | | complications to anesthesia and surgery. This type |
| is simple, your pet's safety is their responsibility | | | | of testing is needed and is extremely important |
| and they want every advantage. | | | | for any patient that will be anesthetized. |
| If you have ever seen us working on your pet | | | | Intravenous catheters are always recommended |
| under anesthesia, you would notice all the devices | | | | to provide immediate access should emergency |
| connected to your pet. We use state of the art | | | | measures or other medications become suddenly |
| monitoring equipment to provide up to the second | | | | necessary during the procedure. The |
| information about patient status. Continuous | | | | administration of intravenous fluids during |
| cardiac and respiratory monitoring is performed | | | | anesthesia is known to improve patient recovery |
| and adjustments in anesthetic depth are based on | | | | and is a wonderful way to improve patient status. |
| objective measurements such as pulse rate, | | | | If we made the recommendation for your pet to |
| respiratory rate, % saturation of hemoglobin with | | | | have something done with general anesthesia, you |
| oxygen (pulse oximetry), blood pressure, and | | | | can be sure the benefits outweigh the risks and |
| electrocardiographic tracings. These | | | | that we will do everything possible to bring about |
| measurements are balanced along with our | | | | an uneventful recovery. |
| assessments of patient status. | | | | Some of the agents we use for anesthesia are |
| We take into account variables such as patient | | | | Sevoflurane and Isoflurane (anesthetic gases) and |
| age, size, weight, and health as well as the nature | | | | Propofol (an intravenous induction agent to take |
| and expected duration of the procedure and | | | | the patient from awake to anesthesia). |