The Utility of Pre-Anesthetic Diagnostics

Course Details

This lecture has been RACE approved for 1.0 CE hour for veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

Program Description:

The timing of pre-anesthetic diagnostics and their utility in developing anesthetic protocols has no general consensus within the community of veterinary anesthesia and analgesia. During both the presentation and associated panel discussion, we will review the commonly performed pre-anesthetic diagnostics, including blood work, urinalysis, thoracic radiographs, ECGs, blood pressure measurements, and abdominal ultrasound and consider the utility of these diagnostics in mitigating risk for our patients undergoing anesthesia.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of various pre-anesthetic tests
• Be able to prioritize which tests are most relevant for anesthesia, particularly in urgent situations
• Interpret the various test results and how they may affect anesthetic protocols and patient safety