Anesthesia and Surgical Nursing for Veterinary Technicians

Anesthesia and Surgical Nursing for Veterinary Technicians
Student Name
Institution Affiliation
Question One
Surgical procedures are usually very painful and it is almost impossible for patients being operated to stay still or remain calm throughout the whole ordeal. It is based on that fact that anesthetics were developed to help patients. Anesthetics are administered to numb particular parts that are being operated or to put the patients in medically induced coma to allow surgeons to operate on patients without any discomfort or constant irritation. It is essential to note that anesthetics are administered either intravenously or inhaled. Intravenous anesthetics are mostly preferred because their reaction is quick as it takes about 20 seconds compared to inhaled anesthetic agents. Anderson et al. (2014) reiterates that position and shares that “Intravenous anesthetics are a group of fast-acting compounds that are used to induce a state of impaired awareness or complete sedation”. There are several types of injectable anesthetics used by surgeons worldwide and which also have various side effects.
Propofol: It is identified by other names including Diprivan and milk of amnesia. It is an anesthetic that is commonly used for induction and sedation in ICU because it reacts very fast and allows surgeons to operate without any challenges. It usually results in not only decreased levels of consciousness but also lack of memory of the events that transpired. It is estimated that the above effects take about two minutes after it has been administered and last 5 to 10 minutes. Nonetheless, propofol also has several side effects including irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure (Anderson et al., 2014). In some cases, the administration of propofol has resulted in seizures and infections. Overuse of the drug causes addiction and propofol infused syndrome.
Etomidate: According to Talaat & El-Azzazi (2014), “it is an intravenous anesthetic used by patients with hemodynamic instability. It is deemed to be the only IV anesthetic that does not affect the cardiovascular system. It is used to sedate patients for short procedures such as reduction of dislocated joints and electroconvulsive therapy. Medical reports have shared that continuous infusion of etomidate usually leads to adrenal suppression and adrenocortical dysfunction. Patients exposed to the anesthetic for more than 5 days are likely to die from infections such as pneumonia. It is also associated with severe cases of nausea and vomiting after the operations.
Ketamine: It is an anesthetic that induces a trance-like state in patients, sedates them and offers pain relief from the surgical procedures. Talaat & El-Azzazi (2014) share that “ketamine plays a key role in emergency medicine because of its strong dissociative, sympathomimetic, and analgesic effects”. It is used mostly for short painful procedures such as fracture reduction. Ketamine has several side effects including high blood pressure, hallucinations, muscle tremors and agitation among others. There are also instances patients have reported rashes at the injection sites and dependence particularly after long-term use.
Question Two
Castration of horses is not an easy...