General Anaesthesia - Why Such a High-risk Species and What Can We Do to Promote a Safe Recovery?

Recovery from anaesthesia is a high-risk phase in equine anaesthesia and almost a quarter of anaesthetic fatalities occur during this time (Johnston et al. 2004). Unfortunately this is the time when monitoring and intervention is often limited or not possible due to personnel safety concerns and there is no universally successful way to manage the recovery period. However, by considering some of the problems strategies can be employed to try to minimise their occurrence and impact.

Temperament
Horses’ ‘fight or flight’ nature can cause problems in the recovery period as they may attempt to stand before they have regained full consciousness and muscle function. The temperament of the individual is an important factor influencing the quality of recovery and although it is not possible for the anaesthetist to fully control this it can influence decision making. For example, assisting the recovery with ropes may work well in a well handled horse but may not be a good idea in an animal that is not halter trained. [...]