Synergy: Your pet’s anesthesiologist, available when you need them

What is Synergy?

Synergy is a service offered to veterinarians, that allows them the virtual presence of an anesthesiologist, right in their own hospital.

Doesn’t my veterinarian perform anesthesia every day on animals?

Yes, they do, and this service isn’t really meant for that type of straightforward case. In most of those everyday cases, the veterinarian is super familiar and comfortable with the drugs they have available, the monitoring they use and patient care in general, so an anesthesiologist would not add much value.

But you offer this as a whole business. Why is that?

While most cases are straightforward, there are cases where a patient may have been born with an underlying disease, such as Multi Drug Resistant Gene Mutation or hepatic microvascular dysplasia. The pet may have relatively abnormal anatomy, such as a brachycephalic patient or a cat with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. They may develop a disease later on, such as deficiency of the adrenal glands (Addison’s disease) or cardiac disease . . . or a host of other things that are uncommon enough to make a veterinarian consider expert help in anesthetizing them. That’s where Synergy comes in! Think of it as “phoning a friend” to help the team provide highly specialized anesthesia, no matter where your pet is!

So how exactly do you provide help?

Your veterinarian will compare my calendar openings to their own openings for performing the procedure. We’ll agree on a day and time. Prior to that day, we’ll go over an entire case review of what’s going on with your loyal animal friend. Then we’ll select a protocol that is tailored specifically to your pet. During the time of the case, I will be “virtually” present through out the entire procedure to help make minute by minute management decisions, bringing to bear my over 15 years as an anesthesiologist, the last six of which were in large part remotely assisting patients. That’s right, I will be with your friend the entire time via the inventions of modern technology so that any change in their physiology or status can be addressed exactly at the time it’s needed. Promise, the only thing I’ll be missing is the snuggles.

What makes you qualified to help with all of these decisions?

There are a lot of people who claim to have more knowledge then they do (I know, I have a toddler).  The governing body of the American Veterinary Medical Association knows that is out there, too. So they set specific standards to recognize people who have done the necessary training (and equally important testing) to be seen as experts. They call these veterinarians “Board Certified Specialists” or “Diplomates” of their specific “college” of expertise. For example, I’m called a “Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia” (DACVAA), and I have been since 2009! To gain this certification, I was required to complete a general rotating internship and as well as a three year residency, after I’d graduated from an accredited vet school (see more about this here). Then I had to take a two-day gruelling exam and pass it to be certified as a specialist in my field. There are also steps we take to keep our certification relevant, once we finish. This includes things like continuing education.

However, this isn’t all that qualifies me to perform virtual anesthesia sessions. For the past six years, I was one of two anesthesiologists covering three clinics. No matter how we juggled it, it was simply not possible to be in three places at once. So I got exceptionally good at my communication style and asking targeted questions so I could quickly figure out what was wrong and how to address it, quickly. This is the skill that sets Synergy and Mythos Veterinary apart.

What else do I need to know about this service?

This service is arranged for and secured by your veterinarian. Because your patient will be physically present in their facility, it’s imperative they are involved from the start.

Remember, Synergy does not replace your veterinarian’s own anesthetic event, so you will likely see a charge for Synergy on your bill in addition to the anesthetic charges your veterinarian uses to cover the cost of the tangible things necessary to perform anesthesia (drugs, equipment, personnel, etc).

My pet has already had anesthesia but I’d like the advice of an anesthesiologist. Can I contact you?

Certainly! Reach out to me via email at mckunec@gmail.com and we can arrange for a consultation ($150 charge).

Thanks for checking out the website!