Patient monitoring
To improve safety and quality of care during anaesthesia we have invested in several modern multiparameter anaesthesia monitors (Mindray iPM8 Vet monitors) and other separate pulse oximeters.
Blood pressure measurement
Both surgeries have in-house laboratories allowing us to analyse blood samples at the practice. This means we normally get the results within 30 minutes of taking a sample rather than days if we used an outside laboratory. This speed is vital in critically ill patients to ensure the right treatment is given as soon as possible.
The most common in-house blood tests that we perform are biochemistry, haematology, electrolyte levels, acid-base status, arterial blood gases and thyroid hormone level.
In addition to this we have two blood pressure machines which allow the accurate measurement of systolic blood pressure in both dogs and cats.
This is an invaluable tool, especially in cats where high blood pressure (hypertension) is a common and often undiagnosed problem. If high blood pressure is left undiscovered it can cause many problems including permanent blindness.
Hypertension is also an early indicator of other problems such as renal failure and thyroid hormone disturbances. For these reasons, as in man, regular monitoring of blood pressure is an invaluable preventative health care tool, especially in the older patient.
