Anaesthesia & Pain Management & Critical Care

Name: Anaesthesia & Pain Management & Critical Care
Start: 2026-11-02T00:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-11-06T23:59:59+01:00
Location: Vienna, Austria

Registration open

Program Director:

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Eva Eberspächer-Schweda, FTA, DACVAA (AT)

Principal Course Master(s):

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Eva Eberspächer-Schweda, FTA, DACVAA (AT)

Course Master(s):

Dr. Hendrik Lehmann, Dipl. ACVECC, Dipl. ECVECC
Dr. Julia Ortlieb, Dipl. ECVECC (DE)
Dr. Martina Mosing, Dipl. ECVAA
Dr. Robert Trujanovic, Resident ECVAA (AT)
Dr. Elisabeth Baszler, FTA (AT)

Course Overview

This course is a joint course run by the course masters of the Anaesthesia & Pain management and the Emergency & Critical Care courses. It focuses on interdisciplinary case discussions and participants benefit from looking at treatment options from different perspectives: What is important in the emergency department? How should anaesthesia ideally be administered? And what are the key points in post-operative intensive care?
In a half-day wet lab, participants can practice various techniques that are important in the care of critical patients, such as thoracentesis, local anaesthesia techniques, oesophageal and cystotomy tube placement and more.

Learning Outcomes:
After this course, participants will be able to:
1) Safely stabilise small animal patients with various clinical conditions (e. g. Cushing’s syndrome, FLUDT, trauma, haemoabdomen, sepsis, heat stroke, smoke inhalation, dyspnoea and others) during initial treatment, anaesthetise them if surgical intervention is required and then provide intensive care afterwards.
2) Appropriately euthanise critically ill patients.
3) Respond appropriately to accidental anaesthetic overdose.

The Anaesthesia & Pain Management and Emergency & Critical Care courses can be taken in any order.

Course Program (Subject to change)

Monday, 02 November 2026 - Anaesthetic case management

08:30 – 09:00 Welcome and Introduction Eberspächer-Schweda
09:00 – 09:45 Regurgitation and aspiration during anaesthesia Eberspächer-Schweda
09:45 – 10:30 Anaesthesia in the adipose and cachectic patient Mosing
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 – 11:45 Anaesthetic management of a patient with Cushing´s disease Mosing
11:45 – 12:30 Journal Club – What´s new? Eberspächer-Schweda
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Break
13:30 – 14:15 Anaesthetic management of a patient with a history of seizures Mosing
14:15 – 15:00 Malignant hyperthermia – does it exist in small animal anaesthesia? Mosing
15:00 – 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 – 16:15 Anaesthetic management for the patient with adrenal tumour Eberspächer-Schweda
16:15 – 17:00 Management of the patient for laparoscopic procedures Eberspächer-Schweda
17:00 Ice-breaker

Tuesday, 03 November 2026 - Euthanasia, overdose, FLUTD

08:30 – 09:15 “Technical” aspects of euthanasia Eberspächer-Schweda
09:15 – 10:00 Client communication in difficult situations Baszler
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:15 Approach to anaesthesia drug overdose Eberspächer-Schweda
11:15 – 12:15 Strategies to avoid inadvertent drug administration Eberspächer-Schweda
12:15 – 13:15 Lunch Break
13:15 – 14:00 Stabilisation of the patient with FLUTD Lehmann
14:00 – 14:45 Anaesthesia of the patient with FLUTD Eberspächer-Schweda
14:45 – 15:15 Coffee Break
15:15 – 16:00 Postoperative care of the patient with FLUTD Lehmann
16:00 – 17:00 Blood gas discussion Lehmann

Wednesday, 04 November 2026 - Trauma, FAST, haemoabdomen

08:30 – 09:15 Case: Initial assessment and stabilisation of the trauma patient Lehmann
09:15 – 10:00 Case: Anaesthesia and analgesia of the trauma patient Eberspächer-Schweda
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 12:00 Case: Stabilisation, treatment and postop care of the patient with haemoabdomen including autotransfusion options Lehmann
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Break
13:00 – 13:45 TFAST / AFAST: Theory Ortlieb
13:45 – 14:00 Mini Coffee Break
14:00 – 16:00 Practise TFAST / AFAST Ortlieb/Instructor
Case discussion Lehmann
Case preparation for Friday, central venous catheter placement Eberspächer-Schweda
16:00 – 16:15 Mini Coffee Break
16:15 – 17:00 Discussion: Use of antibiotics in surgery and ICU Ortlieb / Lehmann
18:00 Social Dinner

Thursday, 05 November 2026 - Sepsis, wet lab

08:30 – 10:00 Case: Acute abdomen / sepsis: initial diagnostics, stabilisation Lehmann
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:15 Monitor Simulator: Perioperative findings in septic patients Eberspächer-Schweda
11:15 – 12:00 Case: Critical care of the septic patient Ortlieb
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Break
13:00 – 17:00 PRACTICE SESSION: Ventilation Eberspächer-Schweda,
Wet lab training: Local blocks, thoracocentesis, thoracic drain, venous cut down Ortlieb, Trujanovic
CSF sampling, intraosseous catheter, oesophageal tube placement
In between Coffee Break

Friday, 06 November 2026 - Environmental hazards, diaphragmatic hernia

08:30 – 09:15 The patient with heat stroke: Pathophysiology and diagnostics Ortlieb
09:15 – 10:00 Treatment of the patient with heatstroke Ortlieb
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:15 Treatment of patients with smoke inhalation or submersion injury / drowning Ortlieb
11:15 – 12:00 Treatment of the patient with anaphylaxis Ortlieb
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Break
13:00 – 13:45 Case: Initial stabilisation of the patient with severe dyspnea Ortlieb
13:45 – 14:30 Case: Anaesthesia in the patient with diaphragmatic hernia Eberspächer-Schweda
14:30 – 15:00 Questions / Comments – Goodbye