Neuro Anesthesia for the GP to Specialist Facility

Veterinary neuroanesthesia presents unique physiologic and anesthetic challenges requiring careful balance between maintaining cerebral perfusion, minimizing intracranial pressure, and preserving neurologic function. This lecture will review the core principles of anesthesia for patients with intracranial and spinal cord disease, including pre-anesthetic stabilization, drug selection, ventilation strategies, hemodynamic management, and perioperative monitoring. Special emphasis will be placed on practical anesthetic decision-making for common neurologic procedures such as MRI, craniotomy, spinal surgery, and management of traumatic brain injury. Attendees will gain a clinically applicable understanding of neurophysiology, anesthetic implications of neurologic disease, and evidence-based approaches to improving anesthetic safety and neurologic outcomes in veterinary patients.