[Veterinarian's explanation] An explanation of the anesthesia used on beloved dogs and cats at animal hospitals!
Top » Column » [Veterinarian Explanation] An unknown world? An explanation of the anesthesia used in animal hospitals!
If you have a dog or cat, you may have heard your veterinarian talk about anesthesia and sedation.
This time, we will explain anesthesia and sedation in as easy-to-understand a way as possible!
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1. Types of sedation and anesthesia
◆ Sedation
Sedation involves the use of medication that makes your dog or cat sleepy, in order to relax your dog or cat and relieve them from the stress of the procedure or examination.
There are three main scenarios in which sedatives are used:
1) Use for children who are easily stressed by examinations and procedures
For pets who are easily stressed by procedures at the veterinary clinic, we may use sedatives before the procedure.
You can also have your child take a sedative medication before coming to the hospital.
2. Use for painful procedures
Sedatives may be used during painful procedures, such as reducing a dislocated joint or taking an X-ray after a fracture.
In these cases, sedatives are often administered as injections rather than oral medications.
3) Use in preparation for general anesthesia
When administering general anesthesia, we use a method called "balanced anesthesia," in which small amounts of various medications are combined to minimize the side effects of each medication.
Among the medications used are sedatives, and sedatives are also used during general anesthesia.
When you hear the word sedation, you may imagine using drugs to force a patient to sleep, but in many cases, using sedatives is better for both parties than forcing the patient to undergo an examination while causing excessive stress (unless the patient cannot take medication due to a chronic illness).
In fact, in many countries overseas, sedatives are used simply to administer intravenous fluids or to perform X-rays or ultrasound examinations.
◆ Local anesthesia
Local anesthesia is an anesthetic that numbs a specific area, making it painless.
It is often used in surgery in combination with sedatives or general anesthetics to ensure a more effective pain relief (such as nerve blocks and epidural anesthesia).
In this case, local anesthesia requires skill and special equipment.
In addition, when it is deemed unnecessary to use sedation or general anesthesia, such as when removing small skin masses or suturing wounds, the procedure may be performed using only local infiltration anesthesia.
Local anesthesia does not require any special equipment.
◆ General anesthesia
General anesthesia involves achieving three goals: pain relief, muscle relaxation, and coma.
In veterinary medicine, general anesthesia is required for surgery, CT, MRI, endoscopic examinations, radiation therapy, and other procedures.
In general anesthesia, in order to meet the three requirements mentioned above, sedatives, analgesics, muscle relaxants, etc. are combined to completely eliminate consciousness and pain sensation.
Because general anesthesia puts a greater strain on the entire body than sedation or local anesthesia, blood tests, X-rays, ultrasound scans, etc. must be performed before general anesthesia is administered to check for any factors that could pose a risk to the patient.
Depending on the test results, surgery may be postponed and treatment of the underlying disease may take priority.
2. General anesthesia procedure
Here we will explain the procedure for receiving general anesthesia.
◆ Pre-anesthesia preparation
Before undergoing general anesthesia, you will need to fast for several hours up to 12 hours.
If the patient's stomach is full of rice when anesthesia is administered, there is a higher risk of the stomach contents refluxing and causing aspiration pneumonia when the patient is put to sleep.
The period of fasting will vary depending on the pet's age and any underlying medical conditions, so be sure to check with your veterinarian in advance.
Also, if you have a chronic illness that requires daily medication, make sure to check whether you need to take the medication on the morning of the day.
Once you arrive at the hospital, after final pre-anesthesia checks, a catheter will be placed in your vein to start an IV drip to keep you hydrated.
◆ Under anesthesia
During anesthesia, various parameters such as electrocardiogram, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, body temperature, and carbon dioxide concentration in exhaled air are monitored and recorded.
If problems such as arrhythmia or low blood pressure occur, the veterinarian in charge of anesthesia will administer appropriate medication to deal with the situation.
Since potential problems during anesthesia vary depending on the case, it is important to prepare in advance.
After anesthesia
After waking up from anesthesia, you will need to be closely observed for at least three hours.
For dogs and cats, anxiety due to changes in their environment can increase their pain, so if surgery is performed, we will actively carry out treatment to relieve pain.
If the surgery or examination is an outpatient procedure, the first thing to try once your pet has returned home and settled is to give it some water to drink.
If your pet is able to drink water without any problems, we recommend giving it a smaller amount of dinner than usual.
3. Trivia: The history of anesthesia
Do you know how pain relief and anesthesia have developed?
You probably don't usually think about it much, but here we'll briefly explain the history of anesthesia.
Herbal anesthesia
Apparently, herbs have been used as painkillers since around 4000 BC.
Many of the medicinal herbs used at the time contained narcotic ingredients, so it is understandable that they had a pain-relieving effect.
The history of medicinal herbs in Japan dates back to 1804, when a man named Hanaoka Seishu successfully performed the world's first (!) surgical operation under general anesthesia using an anesthetic called "Tsūsensan" (an oral medication mainly made from medicinal herbs).
◆ Inhalation anesthesia
The first inhaled anesthetic was synthesized in 1540.
In 1853, Queen Victoria apparently used an inhaled anesthetic called chloroform to help with painless childbirth.
It's surprising that painless childbirth has such a long history.
◆ Anesthesia by injection
Because administering medicine by injection requires sterilized needles and syringes, the history of injection is still short, and it is said that it was only after the 1880s that intravenous injection became possible. Injectable anesthetics were actually used in clinical applications in 1934.
It seems that there is a longer history than you might imagine, from herbal medicine to today's anesthesia methods. In recent years, with the development of anatomy, various nerve blocks have been used in veterinary medicine, allowing for better pain relief.
The number of veterinarians specializing in anesthesia is increasing, so if your pet is undergoing major surgery, it may be a good idea to choose a veterinary hospital that specializes in anesthesia.
summary
Today I will explain about anesthesia and sedation.
How was it?
You may have negative images when you hear the word anesthesia, but the risks can be reduced if the procedure is performed with proper equipment and knowledge.
If you have any concerns about your beloved dog or cat's anesthesia, please consult with your veterinarian and make sure to allay any concerns before proceeding with anesthesia.
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