As veterinary surgeons, we are responsible to ensuring the safety of our patients during surgery, and this includes the anaesthetic process. The correct knowledge and skills are needed to provide effective and balanced anaesthesia to our patients, and ensure avoidance of unnecessary pain and distress.
In many spay-neuter settings anaesthesia is monitored largely by assistants. If anaesthetic complications are to be minimised, it is essential that veterinarians are aware of the level of knowledge that their assistant possess, and ensure that they provide training, and support them throughout the procedure to ensure a successful outcome.
This module provides walk-through of the induction process including an overview of the concepts of general anaesthesia, total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) and the drugs that are commonly used, and the process of induction itself followed by endotracheal intubation.