The diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists (ACVA) propose these guidelines for anesthetic monitoring, with the intention of encouraging high quality care of the anesthetized veterinary patient. The ACVA recognizes that some of the methods below may be impractical in certain clinical settings, and that it is possible to monitor and manage the anesthetized patient without specialized equipment. The ACVA does not suggest that using any or all of the methods below can ensure any specific patient outcome or that failure to use any or all methods causes poor outcome. These suggestions are offered only to assist the veterinarian in determining priorities for monitoring during anesthesia, surgery, and recovery. The suggestions may be revised from time to time, as warranted by developing knowledge and technology.

The major categories listed below are aspects of anesthetic management that deserve careful attention. For each category, any one or more of the suggested methods may be used. Suggested methods of monitoring under each category are listed in approximate order of simplest/most economical/least invasive, to complex/most expensive/most invasive.