We monitor our patients to keep them as safe as possible during procedures that require general anesthesia. Anesthetic monitoring increases the safety of modern anesthesia. First and foremost, your pet will have a veterinary technician monitoring him from the time anesthesia begins until your pet recovers. Your pet will be monitored by machines similar to those seen in human surgical facilities. We have continuous monitoring of 7 vital signs: EKG (heart rhythm), heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, blood pressure, and body temperature. Your pet will be kept warm through the use of warm water blankets and warm air blankets. By keeping the vital values in acceptable ranges, we reduce the risk of negative anesthetic events and improve the odds of a smooth recovery from anesthesia. We use monitors to alert us to changes in your pet’s vital functions so that we can make anesthetic adjustments and hopefully avoid a crisis.
Please feel free to ask us about our patient monitoring protocol or any concerns you might have about your pet’s procedure.
