WSAVT Dental/Anesthesia Workshop
August 22, 2020 Saturday, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Dentals and anesthesia go hand and hand. This lecture series will discuss anesthesia tips for your dental patients.
Donna M. Sisak
LVT, VTS (Anesthesia)
Donna M. Sisak has been a licensed veterinary technician specialist in anesthesia/analgesia for 14 years; she has worked in the veterinary profession for 35 years. Her clinical experience includes general practice, academia and currently specialty medicine. Upon graduating from Harcum College, Bryn Mawr, PA in 1991 – she began her career at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital, Phila PA as a ICU/general ward technician. In 1995 Donna transferred to the anesthesia department in pursuit of learning more about a lifelong interest – anesthesia/analgesia. It was during this time Donna was bitten by the teaching “bug”. During 2000 – 2008 Donna became Department Supervisor of Harcum College veterinary nursing students’ two-week clinical anesthesia rotation in addition to teaching an 8 week fundamentals of anesthesia/analgesia course to second year nursing students at Harcum College; during this time, she was the recipient of the Veterinary Teaching Award for six consecutive years. In the spring of 2008, Donna pursued her professional interests in specialty medicine in the Pacific Northwest where she has been a member of Seattle Veterinary Specialists in Kirkland, WA. Her role at SVS has been as an anesthesia/analgesia specialist –performing and training anesthesia/analgesia – in addition to other aspects of veterinary medicine- to all in house staff and the local veterinary community. In February 2017, Donna became a member of the Aratana Technician Council of Experts (ACTE) Pain Board. As of 2020 she will continue her work with ELANCO educating and advocating for safe anesthetic/analgesic care. Her lecture experience includes IVECCS, AVMA, AAHA, ACVC, NJVMA, Annual Penn Conference, WSAVT, PNWVC Annual SVS Spring Symposium, and local/in-house CE events. Her passion for the profession/patients and teaching make her a great champion for veterinary technicians and patients.
| 1:00pm - 1:50pm |
It’s More Than “Just a Dental”: Anesthesia for Patients with Co-Existing Disease. Oral/dental disease is the most common medical issue in small animal medicine according to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Oral/dental care plays an integral role in keeping patients healthier-, especially senior patients. Patients undergoing oral/dental procedures require anesthesia; anesthetic risk and comorbidities may discourage owners or even the veterinary team from pursuing adequate care. The lecture will commence with a reminder of the importance of pre-anesthetic assessment/planning and individualizing anesthetic protocols to the patient’s needs. The risks associated with patients undergoing anesthesia for oral/dental procedures and common comorbidities – renal, cardiovascular, and endocrine disease - associated with these patients will be elaborated on. The lecture will conclude with anesthetic/analgesic suggestions/advice in dealing with these types of patients receiving/needing oral care. |
| 2:00pm - 2:50pm |
“Getting My Dog a Sparkling “Smile”….SAFELY.” – Perioperative Anesthetic/Analgesic Monitoring for Patients Undergoing Dental Prophy/Procedure. Safety- Always- First. Preventive medicine (disease prevention and health promotion) for our pets can ensure us they are leading healthy, happy lives. Dental care is one of the most overlooked areas of pet health. Cost and risk – anesthetic- are some of the top reasons why this may be the case. Veterinary nurses can play a huge role by advocating for their patient’s health and longevity by educating clients on oral care and anesthetic safety. The talk will begin with a reminder to attendees of the importance of good client communication/education when advocating for a pet’s oral/dental care; assure safety is always first. Anesthetic/analgesic safety – risk management - is all about MONITORING. The following questions will be answered: Why we monitor, what we monitor, and when we monitor. The bulk of the lecture will focus on adequate monitoring – vitals, physical management, and pain – in promoting patient safety. In conclusion – the importance of appropriate preparation, understanding the differences of anesthesia (“depth”) vs analgesia (pain control), “moment by moment” monitoring, and early intervention are all key to patient safety. |
Benita Altier
LVT, VTS (Dentistry)
Through her business, Pawsitive Dental Education, she provides dentistry instruction and consultations across the United States and Canada to veterinary professionals. Benita has published numerous articles on dentistry in veterinary journals as well as being a contributing author to a textbook for veterinary technicians and nurses on the subject of the dental operatory, ergonomics and safety.
| 3:00pm - 3:50pm |
Oh, My Nerves! Dental Nerve Blocks Cats and Dogs This lecture goes over the basics of why a multimodal approach to analgesia and pain prevention and control should include regional nerve blocks for dentistry. Drug choices, dosages, and specific anatomical considerations will be discussed as well as videos demonstrating the most commonly used blocks in dogs and cats for dentistry. Learning Objectives: Gain a basic understanding of anatomy as it applies to local or regional anesthesia for dentistry. Learn the current and accepted methods of providing the most common blocks for dentistry in the dog and cat. Safety and caution when it comes to considering local anesthesia for dentistry. Learn the commonly used drugs, suggested volumes and doses for dog and cat local dental blocks. |
| 4:00pm - 4:30pm |
Question and Answer Session Please send your questions to program@wsavt.org |