Therapeutic hypothermia is applied via cooling of the blood in the cardiopulmonary bypass machine (Kanemoto, 2014). This reduces the metabolic rate and oxygen demand from the tissues reducing risk of...
CO2 within the body can be measured either directly via arterial sampling, which gives us the partial pressure of CO2 in arterial blood (PaCO2), or indirectly via capnography. PaCO2 readings are...
An assessment of cardiovascular function in the patient can easily be performed using subjective methods such as mucous membrane colour, capillary refill time, pulse rate and quality, peripheral and...
The anaesthetic plan must aim for maternal and neonatal survival, presenting a unique challenge to the anaesthetist. Exposure of the fetuses to anaesthetic drugs, since many cross the placenta...
Although this paper focuses on pre-anaesthesia preparation, it is important to understand factors that affect complications related to anaesthesia. Several studies have been published determining the...
The pre-anaesthetic phase comprises a thorough pre-anaesthetic evaluation to include a clinical history and a physical examination, as well as selecting the appropriate pre-anaesthetic drugs and...
The climate crisis is the largest and most prolonged threat to global health ever described (Costello et al, 2009). The rising temperatures documented over recent centuries are attributed largely to...
Table 1 shows the different local anaesthetic drugs and the doses that can be used in locoregional blocks. A combination of these local anaesthetics and an opioid, can be used to form part of a...
Small exotic mammals are prone to stress in hospital environments and should be given time to become accustomed to their unfamiliar surroundings. These species have high sympathetic tone that can...
Intubation of the trachea is one of many ways of ensuring the provision of oxygen to the respiratory system but is more usually used primarily to ‘secure the airway’; meaning to prevent foreign...
Human error is not predictable, many factors affect our ability to perform at our best. The full integration of the surgical safety checklist to the usual working practice of the hospital would ensure...
Hospitals should create not only anaesthetic drug protocols for geriatric patients, but also pre and postoperative care instructions for staff and pet owners to ensure high-quality care and monitoring...