ABSTRACT
The most effective way to deal with anesthetic complications and emergencies is to prevent them by using appropriate: preparation/stabilization of the patient, selection of type and dosage of anesthetic drugs, preparation of anesthesia equipment, monitoring of physiologic systems, and pre-, post- and intra-operative support of the patient. There are many monitors available. However, all monitors have advantages and disadvantages and it is important to know the uses and the limitations of each monitor. Anesthesia causes depression of all organ systems but changes in the central nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory systems are those that are most immediately life-threatening. For all monitored parameters, trends of changes are generally more important than the changes themselves. Assessment of anesthetic depth using advanced monitoring techniques is becoming more common in human medicine but is rarely used in veterinary medicine except for research.
