Anesthesia

13% of the VTNE · blueprint VTNE content outline approved by the AAVSB Board, March 2023

Short answer

Anesthesia is 20 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers pre-anaesthetic patient evaluation and stabilisation, anaesthetic machine and breathing-circuit checks, induction and maintenance agents, monitoring depth and physiological parameters, recognising and responding to complications such as hypotension, hypoventilation, hypothermia and arrhythmias, and managing recovery.

Why it matters on this exam

Anaesthesia items test whether you would notice a problem early and know which correction comes first.

Key concepts

Machine check: leak test the circuit, verify oxygen supply and flowmeter function, check the vaporiser level, soda lime colour and exhaustion, and confirm the scavenging system.
Circuit selection: rebreathing versus non-rebreathing by patient weight, and the flow rates each requires.
Monitoring: depth assessed by jaw tone, eye position and reflexes alongside instruments; capnography for ventilation; pulse oximetry for oxygenation; blood pressure for perfusion; temperature throughout.
Complications: hypotension (reduce vaporiser, support with fluids and drugs as directed), hypoventilation (assist ventilation), hypothermia (active warming; it prolongs recovery), and dysrhythmias.
Recovery: extubation criteria by species — swallowing reflex in dogs and cats, earlier extubation in cats to avoid laryngospasm; continuous observation until sternal.

Common mistakes

Judging depth from one sign alone.
Leaving a hypothermic patient to recover passively, which prolongs anaesthesia and worsens outcome.

Worked example

Mean arterial pressure falls to 55 mmHg under isoflurane. The first correction is to reduce the vaporiser setting, since inhalant depth is the commonest cause of intra-operative hypotension, before reaching for fluids or pressors under veterinary direction.

Original practice questions

AnesthesiaDifficulty 3/5

Under isoflurane, a patient's mean arterial pressure falls to 55 mmHg. What is the first intervention?

AAdminister an anticholinergic to raise heart rate and blood pressure
BGive a bolus of colloid immediately to expand the circulating volume
CIncrease the oxygen flow rate to improve tissue oxygen delivery
DReduce the vaporiser setting, since inhalant depth is the usual cause

Show answer and rationale

Correct: D. Inhalant-induced vasodilation and myocardial depression is the most common cause of intra-operative hypotension. Reducing depth is the first and most reversible correction; fluids and drugs follow under veterinary direction.

C — Oxygen flow does not affect blood pressure.
A — Anticholinergics address bradycardia specifically, which was not described.
B — Colloid administration is a veterinary decision after depth is addressed.

AnesthesiaDifficulty 3/5

When is extubation usually appropriate in a cat compared with a dog?

AEarlier in cats than dogs, to reduce the risk of laryngospasm
BAt the same point in both species, once the reflex has fully returned
COnly after the patient is standing, regardless of the species involved
DLater in cats than dogs, once a strong swallowing reflex has returned

Show answer and rationale

Correct: A. Cats are prone to laryngospasm, so extubation is performed earlier than in dogs — typically at the first sign of returning swallowing or ear-flick — while dogs are extubated once swallowing is established.

D — Waiting for a strong reflex in a cat increases laryngospasm risk.
B — The species differ specifically on this point.
C — Waiting until standing is unnecessary and unsafe in cats.

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2 flashcards for Anesthesia

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Primary references

VTNE Candidate Information Handbook — American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22

Last reviewed: 2026-09-22Next review by: 2026-11-06Draft — pending editorial reviewHow we verify facts