QUARTERLY BEAT
JULY 2026
MARCH 10, 2026
Anesthesia for Brachycephalic Breeds Dr. Maria Killos , DACVAA • Love anesthetizing BOAS dogs? Well, it’s more than stenotic nares, elongated soft palates, everted saccules, and hypoplastic tracheas. Don’t forget to add high vagal tone, a higher risk of regurgitation, and increased concern for IVDD, which can affect positioning and patient handling. • Ask these questions as part of your brachycephalic patient assessment: Can you close their mouth without causing respiratory distress? Is there a history of regurgitation? What’s their resting heart rate (as elevated vagal tone can produce marked bradycardia in these patients)? • Preoxygenate brachycephalics for at least 5 minutes. That extra oxygen reserve can buy precious time before significant hypoxemia develops during induction. • Don’t rush extubation. Brachycephalics love a good airway and often tolerate their ETT longer than other patients; keep em’ intubated until they are truly awake enough to object. • Plan ahead for the potential of post-operative airway swelling. Routine use of perioperative NSAIDs may limit the use of steroids as a post-operative rescue treatment for airway swelling. • Panic in recovery can spiral fast. Use appropriate analgesia, acepromazine, or dexmedetomidine when needed to reduce pain, anxiety and help prevent respiratory crisis or reintubation.
MARCH 11, 2026
The ALARA Principle: A Practical Guide to Minimizing Radiation Christy DeYoung , BS, RVT, VTS-DI • Did you know the ‘X’ in X-rays comes from the mathematical ‘x’ representing an unknown?! • Narrow that beam to help limit scatter radiation from bouncing off the patient, table, and floor. Scatter radiation is the primary source of radiation exposure to veterinary professionals. • The ALARA Principle – “as low as reasonably achievable” – centers on 3 fundamental concepts: ◦ time – decrease your exposure time, ◦ distance – inverse square law: if you double your distance, you decrease your radiation exposure by 4x, ◦ shielding – lead PPE (gowns, gloves, thyroid shields) only works when you’re wearing it! • One of the best ways to apply the ALARA principle is to implement a ‘hands-free’ positioning technique. With practice, this can improve radiation safety, patient comfort through appropriate sedation, reduce required personnel and make the process more efficient!
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