ABSTRACT: Electronic monitoring devices have an important role to play in safe anaesthesia. However, in order for the data they produce to be used appropriately, they need to be interpreted. The first part of the interpretation requires the anaesthetist to determine whether or not the numbers the monitor produces are likely to be realistic or not. Only after this is done should decisions about the ongoing management of the patient be made.

As we saw in the first article in this series (McMillan, 2016), electronic monitors are prone to failure. In fact, each piece of monitoring equipment has its own inherent flaws. Understanding how an individual monitoring device gets the numbers it displays is important so that you can understand and learn to recognise common errors and how to manage them.

Author

Matthew McMillan BVM&S MRCVS DipECVAA

Matt runs the clinical anaesthesia service at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital. He is a European and RCVS recognised specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. His main interests include patient safety especially pertaining to anaesthesia, medical error and veterinary education. He led the team that developed the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists’ Anaesthetic Safety Checklist.

Email: mwm32@cam.ac.uk

Keywords: Anaesthetic devices, Blood pressure 

To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 32 (01) • January 2017 pp9-13

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