This module will be available no later than October 1st, 2026. You will receive an email when the module is available.

Despite careful planning and appropriate anesthetic protocols, complications can occur at any stage of equine anesthesia. Because of the horse’s size, physiology, and susceptibility to cardiorespiratory depression and positioning-related injury, even relatively common complications can rapidly become clinically significant. This module focuses on prevention, early recognition, and a structured approach to managing intraoperative and recovery-related problems.

Topics include:

• Cardiovascular complications – recognition and management of bradycardia, arrhythmias, reduced cardiac output, poor peripheral perfusion, and other causes of cardiovascular instability.
• Respiratory complications – identifying hypoventilation, hypoxemia, ventilation-perfusion mismatch, airway obstruction, and apnea, with practical strategies to improve oxygenation and ventilation.
• Hypotension management – understanding common causes of low arterial blood pressure and applying a stepwise approach including assessment of anesthetic depth, fluid therapy, inotropic or vasoactive support, and correction of contributing factors.
• Myopathy and neuropathy – prevention, early recognition, and management of positioning-related muscle and nerve injury, with attention to padding, perfusion, anesthetic duration, and patient positioning.
• Monitoring for early deterioration – interpreting trends in blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory parameters, anesthetic depth, and other monitoring variables before major clinical deterioration occurs.
• Recovery complications – management of prolonged, violent, or poorly coordinated recovery, including ataxia, premature attempts to stand, airway problems, and injury risk.
• Post-anesthetic problems – recognizing complications that may only become apparent after anesthesia, including muscle pain, weakness, neurological deficits, respiratory abnormalities, and delayed recovery.
• Troubleshooting critical events – developing a systematic response to sudden deterioration, including rapid assessment of anesthetic depth, circulation, ventilation, oxygen delivery, equipment function, and drug-related causes.
• Emergency preparedness – ensuring that appropriate drugs, equipment, protocols, and team communication are in place before anesthesia begins.
• Prevention strategies – identifying patient-, procedure-, and anesthesia-related risk factors and modifying the anesthetic plan to reduce the likelihood and severity of complications.

General information:

• Teacher: Zoe Vandaele
• Duration: min 1.5 hours