Risk and error in veterinary practice – Anaesthesia
spotlight topic:
Anaesthesia
Published 20 April 2022 | Updated 23 July 2025
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- Spaar Weiss, M.R. et al. (2025) Risk factors associated with increased mortality within 14 days of general anesthesia in specialty veterinary dentistry and oral surgery practices. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 52 (4), pp. 396-402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaa.2025.04.004
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- Loomes, K. (2022) Evaluating equine anaesthetic risk. UK-Vet Equine, 6(4), pp. 151-158. https://doi.org/10.12968/ukve.2022.6.4.151
- Dugdale, A.H., Obhrai, J. and Cripps, P.J. (2016) Twenty years later: a single-centre, repeat retrospective analysis of equine perioperative mortality and investigation of recovery quality. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 43 (2), pp. 171-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12285
- Hollwarth, A.J. et al (2022) Mortality outcomes based on ASA grade in avian patients undergoing general. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, 41, pp. 14-19. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.jepm.2022.02.001
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- McMillan, M. and Darcy, H. (2016) Adverse event surveillance in small animal anaesthesia: an intervention-based, voluntary reporting audit. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 43 (2), pp. 128-135. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12309
- Hofmeister, E.H. et al. (2014) Development, implementation and impact of simple patient safety interventions in a university teaching hospital. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 41 (3), pp. 243-248. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12124
- Brashear, M. (2022) How to reduce anaesthetic risk in geriatric patients. The Veterinary Nurse, 13 (1), pp. 36-40. https://doi.org/10.12968/vetn.2022.13.1.36
- McMillan, M. (2014) Checklists in veterinary anaesthesia: why bother (editorial). Veterinary Record, 175 (22), pp. 556-559. https://org/10.1136/vr.g7515
- Menoud, G. et al. (2018) Development and implementation of a perianesthetic safety checklist in a veterinary university small animal teaching hospital. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5: 60. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00060
- Mair, A. (2020) Using checklists to improve patient safety during anaesthesia. In Practice, 42 (6), pp. 316-322. https://doi.org/10.1136/inp.m2286
- Portier, K. and Ida, K.K. (2018) The ASA Physical Status Classification: what is the evidence for recommending its use in veterinary anesthesia?—A systematic review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5: 204. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00204
- Guidelines for safer anaesthesia [Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists][online]. Available from: https://ava.eu.com/resources/anaesthesia-guidelines/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
- Anaesthesia records & checklists [Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists][online]. Available from: https://ava.eu.com/resources/checklists/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
- Kelly, F.E. et al. (2023) Human factors in anaesthesia: a narrative review. Anaesthesia. https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.15920
- Kelly, F.E. et al. (2023) Implementing human factors in anaesthesia: guidance for clinicians, departments and hospitals. Anaesthesia. https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.15941
For an example of how an anaesthetic near miss could be dealt with in practice you may be interested in
Shared leadership – we’re better together [RCVS Knowledge. QI Features][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/features/shared-leadership/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
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