Next 1-Day Meeting for VASAM

March 7th, 2019

Ralph Harvey, DVM

Holiday Inn Charlottesville-Monticello

1200 5th St SW, Charlottesville, VA  22902

Practical, Profitable, Adaptable Management of Anesthesia, Pain, Fear, Anxiety, and Stress

SIX LECTURE SESSIONS

Our Big Goal - Reducing Anxiety, Fear, Pain, and Distress for Patients, Clients, and Ourselves

Practical strategies move our practices and profession toward a more fear-free and stress-free experience. The benefits go far beyond the individual patient, bringing value and quality to our lives.

• Recognize approaches that add safety and efficiency as well as reduce stress
• Spread the message and encourage all members of our practices to play a role
• Change the environment through better medicine and common sense behaviors

How Can We Help, Unless We Know How They Hurt?

We recognize the need to assess acute and chronic pain in animals in all areas of clinical veterinary care. Assessment of pain in animals has relied largely on observation of complex behaviors. Quantitative, objective, practical assessment is a long-standing goal that we are finally approaching.

• Fundamental to reducing fear, anxiety, aggression, and stress

• We increasingly have the tools, techniques and understanding

• Patients and clients are providing much of the information and they can tell us more

Opioid-sparing and Opioid-free Best Practices in Pain Management

Old standbys, newly available analgesics, novel methods, and local anesthetics have greatly expanded our options. The opioid shortages, as well as other contemporary factors, increase emphasis on other components of multi-modal analgesia. We’ll summarize significant details that influence best methods. This can change your practice and add substantial value in surgical cases.

• Balanced or multi-modal analgesia adds success, convenience, and economy

• Local anesthetics will become valuable in every surgery

• Pain management is fundamental and highly significant in practice growth

High Risk, Anesthesia for Patients Too Sick for Anesthesia

We give potentially lethal drugs to patients with serious injury and debilitating illness. We are rightly apprehensive, but now successfully manage many patients who would not have had a reasonable chance just a few years ago. We’ll include case-based discussion of potential problems for high-risk patients. Problem-based case management reduces morbidity and mortality for our patients and importantly reduces stress in our hospitals every day.

Recognize special anesthetic concerns

Develop problem-based case management

Prioritize clinical responses

Senior Pet Anesthesia and Pain Management

Although age is not a disease, we do see increased co-morbidities and limited resilience in our older patients. Best practices for these animals include use of readily available agents and techniques. Increased attention to detail and a respect for the fragile homeostasis brings clinical success and client appreciation.

• Out-patient anesthesia and a robust adaptability in our approach are essential

• Goals include avoiding stress and maintenance of the patient’s daily routine

• These patients and clients are among our best and most valued resources

Emergencies, Complications, and Crisis Management in Anesthesia
Things can go wrong. Through case examples, we’ll discuss commonly encountered anesthetic emergencies and complications, how to recognize developing problems, how to turn around a problem situation so early that a crisis is averted, and how best deal with an anesthetic emergency or complication.

• Anesthesia is not hours of boredom and moments of sheer panic

• Your investment in infrastructure builds the foundation for success

• Preparation and staff training pay great dividends

Ralph Harvey, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVAA, retired from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he taught anesthesia and pain management in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences from 1985 until 2018. He served as the Section Head for the Small Animal Surgical Services and as a member of the University Faculty Senate. His veterinary degree is from the UTCVM. His graduate study was at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. His post-DVM graduate training included internship, residency, and fellowship at Cornell's Veterinary and Medical Colleges.

Dr. Harvey also worked in private small animal practice. He is certified as a specialist by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia, has served as their Executive Secretary and as a member of the ACVAA Board of Directors. He is currently a member of the Fear-Free Advisory Panel and the Fear Free Executive Council.

He received the UTCVM Brandy Memorial Award, the Outstanding Faculty Member Award from the Tennessee VMA, and the UTCVM Outstanding Alumni Non-Practice Career Award.

His community service has included work with regional science fair programs, Explorer Scouting, the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society, and with wilderness and conservation groups. He has served as a member of the boards of directors for several non-profit organizations: Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning - BOD member 10 years Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair - BOD member 29 years Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association - current BOD and secretary Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley – current BOD

Ralph Harvey

459 Circle Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919 harvey@utk.edu 865-310-6166