• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Sevoflurane: Is it time to switch?

June 1, 2010

This anesthetic agent can improve patient experience, boost client compliance.

Long gone are the days of halothane anesthesia and its associated long recovery times and lower safety margin compared with other anesthetics. Now many practices are considering changing from isoflurane to sevoflurane. One practitioner who's extremely happy with sevoflurane's rapid induction and shortened recovery time is Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. Fred Metzger, DABVP, owner of Metzger Animal Hospital in State College, Pa.

THE FIRST STEP

Advertisement

About eight years ago, Dr. Metzger decided that sevoflurane would improve his dental patients' quality of care. So he purchased a sevoflurane vaporizer, received in-house training from the manufacturer, and, along with his staff, learned the necessary monitoring techniques. To get the word out, he sent clients an e-mail (see example) outlining the benefits of this new service and included information in the clinic's ads.

However, most clients heard about the change in the exam room, where veterinarians could explain the improved anesthetic experience directly to pet owners. "We had clients who were reluctant to have a dental procedure done on their pets because they'd had to deal with groggy pets in the past, or they'd been told by other veterinarians that anesthesia wouldn't be safe for their pets," Dr. Metzger says. "Now we could explain that this new anesthetic agent was very safe and would speed up recovery."

A COMPLETE CHANGEOVER

Metzger Animal Hospital now has six sevoflurane vaporizers and no longer uses isoflurane at all. The practice performs five to 10 surgeries a day using sevoflurane and has yet to experience a bad reaction. To cover his increased costs (sevoflurane costs $200 per 250 ml, while isoflurane costs about $22 for the same amount), Dr. Metzger has increased his anesthesia charge by $5 to $10 per patient. Has the practice experienced any client complaints about the increase in cost? Quite simply, no. Dr. Metzger says it has actually increased compliance with dental procedures.

Dr. Metzger notes that there's nothing wrong with using isoflurane—it provides good anesthesia with minimal problems. "The jump from isoflurane to sevoflurane is nothing like the giant leap from halothane to isoflurane," he says. "It's more like switching from film to digital X-rays."

But he does believe that the key to successful anesthesia in any practice is keeping things simple and consistent. He felt that having his technicians switch back and forth between isoflurane and sevoflurane was asking for problems. So he decided to use sevoflurane exclusively.

MAKING THE SWITCH YOURSELF

While implementation costs are not insignificant, the changeover might not be as difficult or costly as most veterinarians think, Dr. Metzger says. Many clinics are overdue for having their isoflurane vaporizers serviced or replaced, which makes it a good time to upgrade to sevoflurane. And a distributor might be willing to provide a discount on a vaporizer—or even throw it in for free—if a practice purchases a large quantity of sevoflurane up front, he says. New sevoflurane vaporizers range from $1,000 to $2,000, while refurbished ones can be purchased for a little less.

Team members and doctors will need to become familiar with different vaporizer settings and patient monitoring, but training is available from most suppliers and online, Dr. Metzger says. And implementation costs are soon recovered through slightly higher anesthetic charges, more procedures being performed due to better client compliance, and a reduction in the technician and kennel time needed for recovery and hospitalization of surgical and dental patients. Perhaps most important, better surgical and postsurgical patient experiences make for reassured, pleased clients.

Related Content:

AnesthesiaBusinessPractice Finances
Paw Prosper acquires brands and becomes one-stop destination for pet aging
Paw Prosper acquires brands and becomes one-stop destination for pet aging
3 tips for selling your practice
3 tips for selling your practice
AmeriVet Veterinary Partners makes 2023 Inc Southwest Regionals List
AmeriVet Veterinary Partners makes 2023 Inc Southwest Regionals List

Advertisement

Latest News

Xylazine moves from the stables to the streets

DEA reports widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with xylazine

3 Must-reads for National Poison Prevention Week

UC Davis study on eye diseases in kittens

View More Latest News
Advertisement