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New Bolton Center Kennett Square, PA
Emergencies & Appointments:
610-444-5800
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Ryan Hospital Philadelphia, PA
Emergencies:
215-746-8911
Appointments:
215-746-8387
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Anesthesia


Anesthesia at Penn Vet provides the following services to all clinical sections of the hospital:

  • General and locoregional anesthesia
  • Procedural sedation
  • Pain management consultation

The Service is composed of specialists in veterinary anesthesiology, anesthesiology resident veterinarians, and veterinary nurse anesthetists.

If your pet is coming to Penn Vet for diagnostics or procedures that may require sedation or anesthesia, please carefully follow any instructions we give you. Please advise staff of any known allergies to medications, serious illnesses, or complications with previous anesthesia.

Referring a patient to Ryan Anesthesia?

If you are a veterinarian and you need to contact us:

The assigned anesthetist will create a detailed anesthetic protocol designed specifically for your pet, based on their physical exam and history.

When the procedure is finished, your pet will be transferred and further monitored in a recovery area, and we will administer medications as needed.

When your pet is discharged, you will notice multiple patches of clipped hair. These allow us to perform injections, place catheters, and attach monitoring devices. This hair will grow back over time.

If your pet has any bandages present at the time of discharge, please be sure to discuss their timely removal with the attending veterinarian or veterinary nurse.


General anesthesia

General anesthesia is when a patient is rendered unconscious through the injection of drugs and/or by inhaling an anesthetic gas. This also provides muscle relaxation and lack of pain perception, making it possible to perform surgery and other procedures.

  • Possible complications include:

    Respiratory depression
    Low heart rate and low blood pressure
    Adverse or allergic reactions to the anesthetic drugs
    Equipment malfunction and infection 

    The possibility of these complications is higher in critically ill patients. At Penn Vet we make every effort to minimize these risks by tailoring the anesthetic protocol uniquely to the patient.

Procedural sedation

Procedural sedation is when an animal is sedated for a diagnostic procedure or minor surgery. This technique is often integrated with locoregional anesthesia. Although sedation does carry similar risks as those for general anesthesia, it typically has less impact on the respiratory and cardiovascular system, and allows for faster recovery.

Locoregional anesthesia

Locoregional anesthesia targets specific areas of the body. Two of the common locoregional techniques are peripheral nerve blocks and epidural/intrathecal injection.

Peripheral Nerve Block:

Local anesthetic is injected around the nerves that supply the target area of surgery, preventing pain sensation.

  • Possible complications include:

    Failure of the block
    Adverse or allergic reactions to the drugs or drug toxicity,
    Hemorrhage
    Infection
    Rare complications of the nervous system which may lead to temporary or permanent paralysis.

Epidural/Intrathecal injection:

A needle is placed between the vertebrae and medication is injected into the epidural or intrathecal space to provide regional anesthesia and/or pain relief.

  • Possible complications include:

    Failure of the injection
    Adverse or allergic reactions to the drugs or drug toxicity
    Low blood pressure
    Reactions
    Hemorrhage
    Infection
    Rare complications of the nervous system which may lead to temporary or permanent paralysis, urinary retention, pruritus (itchiness); slow regrowth of hair over the injection site.

Our Care Team

Giacomo Gianotti, DVM, DVSc, DACVAA
Head of Anesthesia
Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesia

Ciara Barr, VMD, DACVAA
Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesia

Hope Douglas, VMD, DACVS (Large Animal), DACVAA
Assistant Professor of Anesthesia

Dario Floriano, DVM
Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesia

Noah Pavlisko, DVM
Assistant Professor in Clinical Anesthesia

  • Residents and Interns

    Lutvikadic Ismar, DVM
    Resident, Anesthesia

    Emma Gorenberg, VMD, DACVIM (LAIM)
    Resident, Anesthesia

    Allison Mika, VMD
    Resident, Anesthesia

    Miranda Starr, VMD
    Resident, Anesthesia

    DeAnna Theiss, DVM, MPH
    Resident, Anesthesia

    All Residents and Interns

  • Veterinary Nursing Staff 

    Melissa Allen, CVT

    Casey Bacon, CVT

    David Brown, CVT

    Robert Cantagallo, CVT

    Carly Carpenter, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia), Anesthesia Nursing Supervisor

    Amy Dowling, CVT, VTS; Anesthesia Assistant Nursing Supervisor

    Anne Eppley, CVT

    Caroline Fitch

    Julie Hirsch, CVT,VTS ECC

    Brooke Karpovich, CVT

    Marintha Kimport, CVT

    Jena King, CVT

    Shannon McMahon, CVT

    Michelle Pantelis, LVT

    Sarah Tantoco, CVT

    Lauren Anderson, Assistant

    Shyanne Hall, Veterinary Nurse Assistant-RITC

    More about Nursing

 

Getting Prepared for Your Visit

Read about what to expect from your visit.