Anesthesia Flashcards
What is anesthesia?
A state of unconsciousness induced in an animal
What are the 3 goals of anesthesia?
Analgesia for pain relief, immobilization, and amnesia
How many stages of anesthesia are there?
4
How many planes are involved in stage 3 of anesthesia?
4
What happens during Stage I of anesthesia?
Amnesia and analgesi
What happens during Stage II of anesthesia?
Delirium and lack of inhibition
What happens during Stage III of anesthesia?
Surgical anesthesia: characterized by progressive depression of respiration, circulation, reflexes, and muscle tone
What happens during Stage IV of anesthesia?
Pre-mortem: between apnea and circulatory collapse
What happens at Plane 1 of Stage III?
The animal is under light surgical anesthesia
What happens at Plane 2 of Stage III?
The animal is under moderate surgical anesthesia; good for spays/neuters
What happens at Plane 3 of Stage III?
The animal is under deep surgical anesthesia; appropriate for more invasive surgeries
What happens at Plane 4 of Stage III?
The animal is in a deep surgical anesthesia plane; apnea will usually occur and the animal will have to be ventilated
What are some general considerations to consider?
If the species is used extensively or rarely, the different anatomy and physiology, if it is a dangerous or free-ranging species, and the size vs the metabolism of the animal
Why is the animal’s metabolism important with anesthesia?
The smaller the animal, the faster the metabolism, you need to consider when deciding what drugs to use and how fast they are eliminated from the body
What factors can not be assessed at a distance?
Nutrition, disease, infection (zoonotic), parasitic load, estrus, pregnancy and lactation
What techniques should be used for anesthesia?
Accurate body weight, minimize stress, withhold feed, intubation, maintain body temperature, IV catheters, IV fluids, cardiovascular function, monitor reflexes and muscle tone
How long should food be withheld for a cat or larger?
12 hours
How long should food be withheld in small animals?
2 hours
Is it necessary for food to be withheld from rodents?
No
Why is it not recommended to intubate a rabbit?
Because of a disease called ileus
Should mice and rats be intubated?
No because they are too small
What is the fluid rate for an animal under anesthesia?
10 ml/kg/hr
How much volume does an animal lose during anesthesia that should be replaced?
3x their body weight
What routes can fluids be given?
IV, IP, SQ
At what size can you use the prepared concentration of a medication?
The size of a rabbit
What should you consider anesthetically with a rabbit?
They are easily frightened, difficult to intubate, and in dorsal recumbency, their abdominal viscera may interfere with their diaphragm movement and venous return
What should you consider anesthetically with a guinea pig?
They are difficult to intubate due to pharyngeal anatomy, their soft pallete is continuous with the base of the tongue so the glottis can not be visualized (palatal ostium), they also have a large cecum which contains 65% of their GI contents in addition to storing food in their mouths
What should you consider anesthetically with a hamster?
They hold food in their cheeks and tend to bite
What should you consider anesthetically with a zebra?
They are equines, but don’t always use the same doses as domestic equines for anesthesia
