Veterinary Anesthesia Terms Quiz

Anesthetic Terminology and Patient Assessment

• Extra-labeled drug use involves anesthetic drugs not FDA-approved for specific purposes; commonly encountered in veterinary settings.
• Dehydration raises anesthetic risks, leading to hypotension, poor tissue perfusion, and potential kidney damage.
• Anemia reduces blood's oxygen-carrying capacity, making patients susceptible to hypoxemia.
• Abnormalities in respiratory or cardiovascular systems heighten anesthetic risks and increase mortality chances.
• Body condition score serves as a numerical assessment of the patient's weight, aiding in anesthetic risk evaluation.

Patient Consciousness Levels

• Lethargic patients exhibit a mildly decreased level of consciousness (LOC) and can be easily aroused.
• Obtunded patients display more significant depression of consciousness and cannot be fully aroused.
• Stuporous patients are in a sleep-like state and can only be awakened through painful stimuli.
• Comatose patients are unresponsive to all stimuli, including pain, and cannot be aroused.

Physical Status Classification (PS)

• PS is a system classifying patients’ anesthetic risks into five categories:
  • PS1: Normal healthy patients, minimal risk for elective procedures.
  • PS2: Low-risk patients with mild systemic diseases; includes neonates, geriatrics, and those with mild dehydration.
  • PS3: Moderate-risk patients with severe systemic diseases; conditions like anemia and compensated organ disease are present.
  • PS4: High-risk patients facing life-threatening severe systemic diseases, such as ruptured bladders or internal hemorrhages.
  • PS5: Extreme-risk, moribund patients unlikely to survive without surgical intervention; includes severe head trauma and end-stage organ failure.

Pre-Anesthesia Fasting Guidelines

• For dogs and cats, withhold feed for 8-12 hours and water for 2-4 hours before anesthesia.
• Horses should have feed withheld for 8-12 hours and water for 0-2 hours.
• Cattle require a longer fasting period, withholding feed for 24-48 hours and water for 8-12 hours.
• Small ruminants need to withhold feed for 12-18 hours and water for 8-12 hours prior to anesthesia.