Veterinary Anursethesia

20/02/2026

We often consider maropitant to be simply an antiemetic... but it’s much more than that!

Let's break down where maropitant works. Maropitant is a neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist, which blocks Substance P, a neurotransmitter involved in vomiting and in pain transmission within both the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Yep, you read right. Pain. Substance P plays a key role in the pain pathway, and because NK-1 receptors are found within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, when they are blocked by maropitant, central sensitisation can be reduced.

Additionally, several studies in dogs and cats have shown a reduced minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of inhalant anaesthetics when maropitant is administered for ovarian procedures, suggesting a measurable analgesic or MAC-sparing effect.

Clinically, this means smoother anaesthetic planes, improved perioperative comfort, and valuable multimodal support without relying solely on opioids. It can be particularly useful in visceral procedures, where Substance P plays a significant role in pain transmission.

It’s not a replacement for analgesia, such as partial or full-mu opioids, but it is a valuable adjunct to a balanced, multimodal anaesthetic plan.

Maropitant: more than just an anti-vomiting injection.

Let’s get Lit:

- Boscan et al. (2011) – Effect of maropitant on sevoflurane minimum alveolar concentration during noxious visceral stimulation in dogs: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22126683/
- Alvillar et al. (2012) – Effect of intravenous and epidural maropitant on sevoflurane MAC in dogs: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22103569/
- Niyom et al. (2013) – Effect of maropitant on sevoflurane MAC during stimulation of the ovarian ligament in cats: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23406526/
- Marquez et al. (2015) – Comparison of maropitant vs morphine as a pre-anaesthetic agent for canine ovariohysterectomy: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26513745/
- Cubeddu et al. (2023) – Cardiorespiratory effects & analgesic properties of maropitant vs methadone in dogs: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37508165/

18/01/2026

To have literature that can change things for the better, we first need the data behind it!

If you're an RVN that has been qualified

16/01/2026

Well – I didn't expect this!

2026 has well and truly taken flight, and I am both humbled and shocked to announce that I am fully booked for in-person CPD for the first half of the year and can now take bookings from July 2026.

I appreciate all of your support and nerdiness, and I hope to see you at one of my Roadshow events in the future!

Catch me here: https://www.anursethesia.co.uk/calendar

29/12/2025

From Frontiers

🚨 🚨 Join us for an online webinar: Cardiac Anaesthesia in Veterinary Medicine — Recent Advances and Innovation��📅 Date & time: 20 January 2026 at 6 pm CET time��Panelists: ��Dr. Thaleia Stathopoulou – Senior lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London�Dr. Carolina Palacios-Jiménez – Senior Lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London�Dr. Alfonso Rodriguez – Senior Clinician at Bristol Vet Specialists, Bristol�Dr. Lydia Hjalmarsson – Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London�Prof. Gunther van Loon – Head of the Equine Internal Medicine department at Ghent University, head of the Equine Cardioteam Ghent�Dr. Janny de Grauw - Anaesthesia specialist and Head of Discipline for IVC Evidensia, Netherlands��✅ Online event�✅ Free registration (no costs)�📝 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eUWdwf_f���‼️ Please note: the webinar recording will be available only to those who attend live.

02/12/2025

Constant alarms can be very triggering and heighten stress, so usually the solution is to silence them or alter the settings. But how detrimental can this be to the care we are giving to our patients; can it cause things to be missed?

Clinical alarms in medical devices play a vital role in enhancing patient safety by alerting healthcare professionals of any physiological changes that may require immediate intervention (Mindray). The alarms act as an early warning system to prevent patient deterioration and adverse outcomes. However, the increasing sensitivity of alarm systems has led to an overwhelming number of false or non-actionable alerts, resulting in a phenomenon known as alarm fatigue (Cvach, 2012). This issue has proven detrimental to patients; in human medicine, between 2005 and 2010, 216 deaths across the United States were linked to unheard or dysfunctional alarms, and between 49% and 96% of clinical alarms were overridden (Mindray).

The consistent alarms have also resulted in cognitive overload, where repeated exposure to uninformative alerts results in reduced responsiveness to important warnings (Ancker et al., 2017). Think of “a boy who cried wolf”. A hypothesis arising from two possible alarm fatigues was tested: a) cognitive overload associated with amount of work, complexity of work, and effort distinguishing informative from uninformative alerts, and b) desensitisation from repeated exposure to the same alert over time (Ancker et al., 2017). The findings supported a model of alarm fatigue, which arises from the difficulty in distinguishing relevant alerts from irrelevant ones due to the high number of informative alerts (Ancker et al., 2017).

Therefore, should we consider altering the settings to only alert for what’s relevant for our patients?

To reduce alarm fatigue, RVNs should have more awareness of the safety behind alarms; therefore, the appropriate training should be available to give us the ability to safely optimise alarm levels and frequencies (Shaoru et al., 2023). Cvach (2012) also concludes that training RVNs to be able to safely adjust alarms to patients’ actual needs ensures that the alarms are valid and provides an early warning to potential critical situations. It’s also been seen to be effective to document alarm parameters, improving alarm adjustment compliance, e.g., in a cat, setting the heart rate alarm settings to 100-200 bpm.

Let's get Lit:
- https://tinyurl.com/mindraycrozfusion
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23779608231207227
- https://array.aami.org/doi/10.2345/0899-8205-46.4.268
- https://bmcmedinformdecismak.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12911-017-0430-8

29/11/2025

Beyond excited to welcome the nurse advocate anaesthetist Keagan to the next live Anursethesia Diaries session!

Tickets available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-anursethesia-diaries-december-journal-club-venous-assessment-tickets-1712220641029

28/11/2025

When treating bradycardia under anaesthesia with an anticholinergic, does the dose matter?

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, also known as the "fight or flight" and "rest and digest" systems, are both part of the autonomic nervous system. Anticholinergics antagonise the muscarinic effects of acetylcholine (ACh) on the parasympathetic nervous system, where ACh is the primary neurotransmitter. Their use in veterinary anaesthesia is to block vagally mediated bradycardia. You may also hear them called antimuscarinics or vagolytic drugs. Anticholinergics increase heart rate by blocking the vagus nerve’s ability to slow the heart, allowing the natural pacemaker to run faster – the effect? The heart rate rises!

First let’s discuss glycopyrrolate. A study was conducted by Dyson et al. (1999) to evaluate the effectiveness of glycopyrrolate administered at a dose of 5 or 10 mcg/kg in anaesthetised dogs of varying weights. The results showed 47% of the small dog breeds (

17/11/2025

A pulse oximeter can show a heart rate or oxygen saturation even when it’s not on a patient because it’s reacting to noise, not real physiology. Ambient light, especially the flicker from fluorescent and some LED lights, which emit wavelengths overlapping the red and infrared range used to measure haemoglobin, can trick the sensor into thinking it sees a pulse.

Physics innit.

09/11/2025

We're all set for the 2026 Anaesthesia Roadshow, with all venues booked.

Apply for your 2026 CPD budget so you can get booked in as over a quarter of tickets have already gone!

Check it out here:

Understanding the fundamentals of anaesthesia monitoring will not only boost your confidence, but will also serve as a foundation for future skills and concepts.

24/10/2025

We’re back! Your fave showgirls (because I’d love to be in pink sparkles) are excited to announce the first of the 360 Days for 2026

On the 8th of March and I will be at

A day crammed with content, building confidence to not only use your monitoring to alert you but also to be able to act in an emergency.

4 hours of theory with a 2 hour practical workshop- 6 hours of CPD for £155

But be quick, as always these are small groups and limited to 24 people

02/10/2025

Oh, this ASA chart is fun and sexy! Print yours!

https://www.thinkanaesthesia.com.au/sites/default/files/2024-05/ASA%20Physical%20Status%20Classification%20Chart%20&%20Premedication%20Chart%20Digital.pdf

01/10/2025

They're HERE!

Quick guides to your ventilator!

Covering how to set up:
- Mindray Veta 5
- GE Datex-Ohmeda
- Smiths Medical ventiPAC
- Penlon Nuffield 200 Ventilator
- Burtons/Vetronics SAV04
- RWD R420/NarkoVet® SAV II
- NarkoVet® Pro
- Vetronic Merlin Ventilator
- Ventilator Terminology

Order yours here: https://shorturl.at/0xnAV