Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds

There's been a LOT of talk about Ketamine recently. Not only as an induction agent but also its larger role as an NMDA receptor antagonist and how this plays into chronic conditions such as pain, anxiety, and depression.

Today we talk with Dr. Matthew Gurney DECVAA on how we can better utilize this drug class and some of the science behind it!

Dr. Matthew Gurney is an internationally respected British anaesthetist. A specialist in anaesthesia and analgesia, Matt trained at the University of Liverpool and now works at Eastcott Referrals in the UK. Matt is passionate about pain management, lectures on the subject globally and is the author of many international anaesthesia publications. Matt is Past President of the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia & Analgesia. In 2020 Matt was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for Meritorious Contribution to Clinical Practice. 2022 saw Matt awarded the RCVS Knowledge Award for Quality Improvement for launching and implementing a unique anaesthesia safety tool.

You can find his site here: https://www.zeropainphilosophy.com/pain-updates

So, have you ever wondered what it would be like to make the switch from veterinary nursing to the human side? Well, today we are talking with Morgan McCann who has done just that!

Morgan McCann has been a credentialed veterinary technician since 2010 and became a VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia) in 2018. In 2020 she began the process of transitioning to human healthcare with the goal of becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. In 2024 she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. She currently works fulltime in an Intensive Care Unit and Progressive Care Unit while continuing to work relief in veterinary medicine. Outside of work she enjoys stand up paddleboarding all over the Pacific Northwest and is a volunteer search and rescue canine handler. She shares her home with her son John, a 1.5 year old Maine Coon (yes a real MC) named Katsu, and two former street cats named Kylo and Kiska.

Today we are joined by Dr. Omar Zaheer, DACZM discussing all things Piggies and why your dosing calculations may be a lil off!

Dr. Omar Zaheer graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in 2016. Following graduation, he completed a small animal rotating internship at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Toronto before returning to the OVC for a specialty avian & exotic internship. Following completion of this internship, he completed a residency at the OVC in avian & exotic medicine & surgery from 2018-2021. He published several articles during his residency, including a new surgical technique for cloacal prolapse in pet parrots, an anesthetic study on quaker parrots, and several case reports on pet exotics including chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs. He became licensed with the American College of Zoological Medicine as a Zoological Companion Animal Specialist in 2023.

Does team culture play a role in patient safety? The research may surprise you! Dr. Cyndie Courtney is back for round 2 helping us dive into the research on how teams work together and what that means for patient safety.

Dr. Cyndie Courtney is a small animal veterinarian and recovering toxic team member. She speaks, writes, and consults internationally using peer-reviewed research and real-life experiences to improve individual/organizational performance/wellbeing by addressing workplace conflict.

She was awarded the World Small Animal Veterinary Medical Association’s Next Generation Award in 2019 and her veterinary alma mater’s Outstanding Recent Alumni Award in 2021 for her service to the profession.

You've probably seen a study referenced in lectures or online forums as a way to present evidence-based theories. But have you ever wondered what all those terms in the studies mean? How does sample size affect the quality of the study? What is in-vivo vs in-vitro and how do these things affect the quality of information you are receiving and making patient decisions based upon?

Today I am joined by Dr. Cyndie Courtney, a DVM who also happens to study why people do the things they do at work. Dr. Cyndie Courtney is a small animal veterinarian and recovering toxic team member. She speaks, writes, and consults internationally using peer-reviewed research and real-life experiences to improve individual/organizational performance/wellbeing by addressing workplace conflict.

She was awarded the World Small Animal Veterinary Medical Association’s Next Generation Award in 2019 and her veterinary alma mater’s Outstanding Recent Alumni Award in 2021 for her service to the profession.

The study we were talking about in this episode: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32301662/

Waking up is hard to do...especially when it's after anesthesia. This episode of the podcast features Darci Palmer LVT, VTS (anesthesia & analgesia) discussing the differences between dysphoria, emergence delirium, and pain. We talk about different medication options and tips for making anesthesia recovery smoother overall.

Darci Palmer has been a credentialed veterinary technician for 21 years. She obtained her veterinary technician specialty in anesthesia and analgesia in 2006 while working at the Washington State University (WSU) Veterinary Teaching Hospital followed by a position at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently Darci is at Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine where she is providing both didactic lectures and clinical hands-on training to the veterinary students.

In addition to her clinical work, she serves as the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia & Analgesia, Executive Secretary and in January 2021 she took over the chair of CVTS which is the committee that oversees all of the NAVTA recognized Veterinary Technician Specialty

You know I love my ventilator... see the photo for how I reacted when we got the new Mindray Veta 5 in-house! But when using a ventilator in anesthesia, what do those modes even mean? Volume control, Pressure control, PEEP...it can get a bit confusing, so we have Glynis here to make sense of it all. Today we talk to Glynis Wileman.

She has a PhD - AG Med, while she did not stay in that field, she has worked clinically for 13 years in STARS - specializing in Infant transport/ ECMO, and ventilation / Surfactant studies under Dr. Neil Finer, at RAH. Then onto Siemens/Draeger for Product development in Anesthesia / Ventilation platforms. She is a wealth of information when it comes to anesthesia and ventilation.

As you all know recovery from anesthesia and surgery is an integral part of the process. In today's episode, we talk with Feliza Lopez a VTS ECC technician in NYC who explains what makes an optimal recovery. This one is for you nutrition nerds because guess what??? it plays a huge role in recovery for some of our ICU patients.

Feliza Lopez is a speaker, educator, and the Director of Emergency and Critical Care at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in New York City.

When it comes to onboarding your new hires what's the one thing that seems to inevitably get messed up? Training! Especially in surgery and anesthesia.

In this episode, we talk to Clair Sauer, MSEd, CVT about ways we train folks (hint...there are best practices) ways we test folks on knowledge, and ways to make sure we are setting new employees up for success.

Clair Sauer started her career as a High School Science teacher. After teaching in the USA and Japan over the span of a decade, she earned her MSEd from West Chester University in 2004 . Since then, she has been involved in developing and spreading awareness of inclusive science programs for urban youth and under represented communities.

Upon leaving formal teaching, she worked extensively shelter medicine, animal welfare and public resource management. Working in shelter med led her to pursue her CVT, which she received in 2018 from Harcum College.

She loves being a CVT in both anesthesia and critical care while integrating her education background into her current role in academia. As well as still growing as a tech and becoming more aware of her own neurodivergence, she makes time to stay active in improving education and access to veterinary medicine for all. She has been nominated and recognized for her achievements and leadership, most recently in 2022, receiving the VECCS Steven Haskins Scholarship.

She lives in Philadelphia with her 2 Doberman Pinschers and 2 kitties. Most of all, Clair likes going dancing with other nerds in vet med and riding bikes in the woods. You can find her on IG @thevettechteacher and she is currently exploring life as a lecturer and consultant in education-based initiatives in our field.

Email her at [email protected] with questions, comments, hellos, and content requests.

We've all been there...the patient comes to our surgery service with buprenorphine on board. Now what do we do? Can we give pure mu opioids? Is buprenorphine enough for pain? How long do we have to wait for efficacy?

Today we are talking with anesthesiologist Bryce Dooley about buprenorphine and why we may judge this molecule harshly. Buprenorphine is a great drug when used appropriately and a mainstay addition to many analgesic plans.