Anaesthesia and Analgesia

Overview

General anaesthesia or sedation are essential in many cases for our patients, enabling us to carry out necessary medical and surgical procedures. Here at ChesterGates, the safety and comfort of our patients before, during and after their anaesthetic or sedation is the highest priority for our specialist anaesthesia team. Not only do we have an exceptional hospital team, but we also have access to highly advanced monitoring and specialised equipment, enabling us to deliver the very best anaesthesia care.

Whilst every patient’s journey is different, the most common steps that are typically included in their dealings with the anaesthesia team are:

• Pre anaesthetic assessment: Following admission to the hospital, your pet will be met and examined by our anaesthesia team who will evaluate their overall health, pre-existing pain and behavioural needs.
• Creation of an individualised plan: Our anaesthetists will create a comprehensive anaesthetic or sedation plan for your pet to provide a safe, calm and comfortable experience as possible for them as they undergo their medical or surgical procedures.
• Local anaesthetic blocks: Depending on your pet’s procedure and needs, our anaesthetists may perform a local anaesthetic block during their anaesthetic. These blocks aim to desensitise a specific area, providing excellent quality pain relief during surgery and in the post-operative period. Our team has access to an ultrasound machine to perform these blocks, allowing visualisation of tissue layers, nerves and blood vessels, ensuring maximum effectiveness and safety.
• Diligent anaesthetic/sedation monitoring: Our qualified registered veterinary nurses and interns (veterinary surgeons) will be with your pet for the entirety of their sedation or anaesthetic. They monitor and record important physiological variables and communicate with our anaesthetists to ensure the continued safety and comfort of your pet. Our anaesthetists are on hand to oversee this process, assisting and advising throughout the hospital.
• Attentive recovery monitoring: Your pet will be carefully monitored throughout their recovery from sedation/anaesthesia by one of our team, usually in our dedicated hospital ward, to ensure they remain calm, comfortable and settled. They will be offered a tasty snack or meal as soon as they are able to eat, in keeping with any dietary requirements, to help them settle into their comfy kennel within our dedicated wards.
• Tailored post-procedural analgesia plan: A comprehensive pain relief plan is created for every patient by our anaesthesia team, encompassing regular assessment for pain and treatment with effective medications as required. Our hospital wards team carefully monitor and liaise with the anaesthetists if there are any concerns regarding the comfort of your pet.

Why choose ChesterGates for your pet’s anaesthesia?

• Highly qualified, specialised anaesthetists
• Excellent team of qualified veterinary nurses
• Individualised anaesthesia and sedation plans for every pet
• Access to cardiology, in-house haematology and biochemistry for thorough pre-anaesthetic evaluation where required
• State-of-the-art equipment including modern multiparameter machines, mechanical ventilators, invasive blood pressure monitoring, neuromuscular blockade assessment with accelerometry, cardiac output monitoring, transthoracic pacing, biphasic defibrillation and blood gas analysis
• Ultrasound-guided local anaesthetic blocks to provide excellent quality pain relief for surgeries
• Dedicated recovery monitoring
• Tailored pain assessment and treatment plans
• TLC from the whole hospital team to help your pet feel calm and secure with us.