Anestesia em cães e gatos geriátricos: revisão de literatura e estudo retrospectivo

Abstract

With advances in research in veterinary medicine in the preparation of vaccines, therapeutic diets, innovations in medical and surgical procedures, there is an increase in the quality and life expectancy in dogs and cats, which contributes to an increased frequency of geriatric animals undergoing surgical and anesthetic procedures. The age brings physiological changes that affect the maintenance of homeostasis in situations of stress, and thus, elderly patients are vulnerable to potential anesthetic complications. The anesthesiologist should know the physiological changes associated with age, with the aim of preventing anesthetic complications, thus decreasing the morbidity and mortality of anesthesia in patients in the aging process. Monitoring is essential and should continue until full recovery of these animals, since they have reduced organic reserves and do not have conditions of compensatory responses that occur with younger animals. An anesthetic protocol compatible with the type of surgery and the clinical condition of the animal should be carefully chosen, since there is no completely safe anesthesia for any patient, and therefore, the anesthetist must know the characteristics of each drug and each patient for their procedure be as safe as possible.