Professional Review of Small Animal Anesthesia Monitoring Standards at Private Veterinary Hospitals in Rivers State

The standard of intraoperative anesthetic monitoring directly influences patient safety and surgical outcomes in small animal veterinary practice. This professional review evaluates anesthetic monitoring standards, available equipment, and monitoring practices employed during small animal surgeries at private veterinary hospitals in Rivers State, South South Nigeria. A facility assessment and practitioner survey were conducted at 21 private veterinary hospitals in Port Harcourt and its environs between April and December 2023. Observational checklists recorded available monitoring modalities and their use during 68 elective and emergency surgical procedures. Monitoring equipment survey included pulse oximetry, capnography, blood pressure measurement, electrocardiography, and body temperature assessment. Pulse oximetry was the most widely available monitoring tool, present at 76% of facilities and consistently used in 63% of monitored procedures. Capnography was available at only 19% of facilities. Blood pressure monitoring was performed in only 12% of observed surgeries. Electrocardiography was absent from 81% of facilities. Anesthetic depth was assessed subjectively by behavioral observation alone in 54% of cases. Anesthetic emergencies occurred in 11% of monitored procedures, of which 70% involved anesthetic depth miscalculation attributable to absent objective monitoring. The study recommends minimum monitoring equipment standards for private small animal surgical facilities in Rivers State and advocates for professional development programs focused on multiparameter anesthetic monitoring as a patient safety imperative. Keywords: anesthetic monitoring, small animal surgery, patient safety, Rivers State, private practice.