Capnography guide highlights rising anesthesia monitoring standards

Capnography is getting fresh attention in small animal anesthesia as Today’s Veterinary Nurse publishes a practical guide aimed at veterinary nurses and technicians. The June 1, 2026, peer-reviewed article by Antonia Laoutaris, RVT, VTS (Anesthesia/Analgesia), frames capnography as a core anesthesia safety tool and ties its use to broader monitoring standards and updated CPR guidance. It walks through equipment choices, including mainstream versus sidestream systems, adapter sizing, setup, waveform interpretation, and troubleshooting common patient- and equipment-related abnormalities. (todaysveterinarynurse.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the article lands at a time when specialty guidance is continuing to push practices toward more structured monitoring. AAHA’s anesthesia guidelines emphasize that many complications are first detected through monitoring and specifically call out ETCO2 among the parameters anesthetists should be comfortable interpreting. More recently, the 2025 ACVAA small animal anesthesia and sedation monitoring guidelines said capnometry can be used if capnography is unavailable, while noting that waveform analysis can reveal issues such as cuff leaks, spontaneous breathing during ventilation, airway secretions, and other abnormalities. In practical terms, that makes capnography not just a number on a screen, but an early-warning tool for hypoventilation, rebreathing, circuit problems, and airway compromise, especially in smaller patients where dead space and adapter choice matter. (aaha.org)

What to watch: Expect more practices to revisit anesthesia monitoring protocols, staff training, and equipment selection as newer ACVAA guidance and RECOVER recommendations keep raising expectations around ventilation monitoring and waveform-based assessment. (ebvminpractice.org)