Preanesthetic Testing

Don’t compromise—change happens fast

Ensure safer anesthetic events with real-time blood-work results

You always do a physical exam on the day of surgery. So why wouldn’t you also perform same-day, preanesthetic blood work to minimize your patients’ anesthetic risk?

Same-day, real-time blood work results decrease the risk of serious complications during induction, anesthesia and recovery.

Preansthetic Testing
Benefits
Protocols/Implementation
Tools/Resources

Ensure your patients’ safety with same-day results

    Blood cell counts can change in hours or even minutes.
  • The complete blood count (CBC) is a more sensitive indicator of disease than the physical exam.
  • Screen for conditions such as thrombocytopenia and anemia that may greatly enhance the risk of anesthetic and surgical procedures.
  • Running a CBC the day of the procedure is critical, because cellular components can change quickly. For example, red blood cells (RBCs) can change in just a few minutes if an occult mass ruptures or in just hours with an occult hemorrhage.
  • Additionally, white blood cells (WBCs) and platelets can change within hours due to acute infectious diseases.
    Fasted samples are required for accurate results.
  • Abnormal glucose levels can increase anesthetic risk and differ markedly between fasted and nonfasted samples, breeds, age and sick and healthy patients.
  • Evaluating electrolytes, hematocrit and total protein in fasted patients is essential for monitoring during anesthesia, minimizing the risk of arrhythmias and hypotension and facilitating patient recovery.
  • Same-day testing allows owners to fast pets only once. It’s easier on pets and owners and increases compliance.

Don’t rely on yesterday’s news to make decisions today

  • Identify the current health status of every patient.
    Many laboratory tests, especially the complete blood count (CBC) and glucose, are affected by time, environmental stress and fasting. Same-day in-house testing on fasted samples ensures accurate, immediate results.
  • Create an individualized anesthetic/surgical plan.
    Tailor your anesthetic protocols to enhance your monitoring potential and make fluid therapy and pain medication choices based on individual results.
  • Standardize the baseline profiling process.
    • Preanesthetic testing serves as an invaluable baseline for referencing and interpreting future blood work.
    • Accurate laboratory results are technology dependent, so it makes sense to establish baselines on the same instrument you’ll use for future blood work or emergencies.
  • Earn the pet owner’s trust.
    Share and explain preanesthetic results with clients when they pick up their pet. Increase trust and create instant value through face-to-face communication.
  • Increase compliance.
    Same-day blood work lets you deliver clients information today for more convenience and better compliance.