Anesthesia & Patient Monitoring
Some medical procedures and all surgeries require some form of anesthesia as well as monitoring of a patient’s vital signs to ensure their comfort and safety. The word anesthesia comes from the Greek meaning “lack of sensation”. Anesthesia is accomplished by administering drugs that depress nerve function. With general anesthesia, the patient is made unconscious for a short period. During this unconscious state, there is muscular relaxation and a complete loss of pain sensation.
Other types of anesthesia include local anesthesia, such as numbing a localized area of skin or a tooth, and spinal anesthesia, such as an epidural block that results in anesthesia of a particular part of the body.
South Shreveport Animal Hospital is equipped with two state of the art anesthetic machines. The anesthetics, Isoflurane and Sevoflurane, that are used in the machines are the same that are used in hospitals on adults and children.
Each machine is equipped with patient monitors that allow us to hear and visualize (on screen and/or through printable copies) an electro-cardiogram (ECG), respiration, and a pulse-ox meter that monitors a patient’s pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation level. We also monitor the pet’s body temperature throughout each procedure and chart all vital signs throughout the surgery.
We understand that anesthesia is scary. It’s very common for people to be concerned, especially when their older pet needs a procedure. To ensure your pet’s safety, we perform a pre-surgical physical examination, preoperative blood and urine tests and a radiographic examination. The results from these tests and examinations will help our doctors detect potential clinical and sub-clinical problems. Certain medical conditions that can increase the risk of complications from anesthesia include heart, liver or kidney disease, diabetes, anemia, dehydration, and certain infectious diseases such as heartworms. Once a patient has been screened for safety, we can tailor anesthetics specifically for that pet.
If surgery is deemed necessary for your pet, you can rest assured that our experienced doctors and staff will take the utmost care of your pet and treat it as our own.