3 wonderful trends in veterinary anesthesia

What's really exciting in anesthesia? Ralph Harvey, DVM, MS, DACVA, an associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine, says he's most impressed by the ways today's pharmaceuticals are used in better ways to calm and comfort patients.

“There's a huge theme right now in the relief of suffering in animals, and it comes down to the relief of fear, pain and stress,” Harvey says. The three trends he's most excited about?

1. The expanded use of maropitant for all patients undergoing anesthesia.

2. Improved sedation with the expanded use of dexmedetomidine (click here and here).

3. The “wealth of opportunities” for the relief of pain in cats.

These products are "tremendously reducing the suffering our patients encounter," Harvey says. “It's always a combination of technique and product-how we can use the new product to achieve goals: longstanding goals and newly recognized opportunities.”

See Harvey, clearly inspired, say it himself below: