In anesthetizing dogs and cats with cardiovascular disease, it is necessary to focus on maintaining or minimally disturbing oxygen delivery to vital organs, especially the heart.
Oxygen delivery is determined by cardiac output and the oxygen content of arterial blood.
The development of methods for assessing patient risk attributable to cardiovascular disease helps in selecting anesthetic protocols that will minimize the potential for adverse anesthetic responses. The first part of this two-part presentation discusses the physiologic principles and evaluative techniques that are used to design an anesthetic protocol for dogs and cats with cardiovascular disease. Part II will consider the anesthetic drugs, techniques, and supportive therapy used to anesthetize these patients.