Emergency vascular access

Establishing and maintaining vascular access is often vital to the preopera tive, intraoperative, and postoperative management of the small animal emer gency surgical patient. Vascular access may be used for the delivery of cry stalloids, colloids, blood components, medications, and anesthetic or sedat ive agents. It can also facilitate venous and arterial blood sampling and a llow direct measurement of arterial and venous pressures. Selection of an a ppropriate catheter and knowledge of placement techniques, maintenance, and use of the various methods of vascular access are essential to the small a nimal emergency patient and the critical care veterinarian.