Errors in Veterinary Anesthesia

Errors in Veterinary Anesthesia is the first book to offer a candid examination of what can go wrong when anesthetizing veterinary patients and to discuss how we can learn from mistakes. 

    Discusses the origins of errors and how to learn from mistakes
    Covers common mistakes in veterinary anesthesia
    Provides strategies for avoiding errors in anesthetizing small and large animal patients
    Offers tips and tricks to implement in clinical practice
    Presents actual case studies discussing errors in veterinary anesthesia

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1. Errors: Terminology and Background

Error: Terminology

Error: Background

Conclusion

Chapter 2. Errors: Organizations, Individuals and Unsafe Acts

Error causation: Technical factors

Error causation: Organizational and supervisory factors

Error causation: Environmental

Error causation: Personnel

Error causation: Human factors

Error causation: Other factors

Conclusion

Chapter 3. Reporting and Analyzing Patient Safety Incidents

The limitation in only counting errors

How can we learn the most from our errors?

Analyzing patient safety incidents

Conclusion

Chapter 4. Equipment and Technical Error in Veterinary Anesthesia

Cases

Near miss vignettes

Conclusion

Chapter 5. Medication Errors in Veterinary Anesthesia

Cases

Near miss vignettes

Conclusion

Chapter 6. Errors of Clinical Reasoning and Decision Making in Veterinary Anesthesia

Cases

Near miss vignettes

Conclusion

Chapter 7. Errors of Communication and Teamwork in Veterinary Anesthesia

Cases

Near miss vignettes

Conclusion

Chapter 8. Error Prevention in Veterinary Anesthesia

General strategies for error prevention

Specific strategies for error prevention

Conclusion

Chapter 9. Epilogue

Appendices

Appendix A. Suggested Readings

Appendix B. Terminology

Appendix C. ACVAA Monitoring Guidelines

Appendix D. ACVAA Guidelines for Anesthesia of Horses

Appendix E. History of Checklists

Appendix F. FDA Anesthesia Apparatus Checkout

Appendix G. AVA Anesthetic Safety Checklist

Appendix H. Critical Clinical Condition Checklist

John W. Ludders, DVM, DipACVAA, is Professor Emeritus at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, USA.

Matthew McMillan, BVM&S, DipECVAA, MRCVS, is Principal Clinical Anaesthetist and Critical Care Co-ordinator at Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, United Kingdom