From Mystery Readings to Safe Surgery: The Patterson Anesthesia Hotline

Trends | December 2025

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Graham Garrison is an editor and writer with experience in business and trade publications across several industries. He has worked for Veterinary Advantage since 2009.

The team at truBOND Veterinary Center faced a troubling issue: unusually high end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) readings during anesthesia.

Despite using positive pressure ventilation, ETCO2 remained dangerously above 50. Acting quickly, they switched the patient to a different anesthesia cart with the same monitor. The ETCO2 readings immediately dropped to safe levels, under 30.

Initially suspecting a faulty batch of Soda Lime, they replaced it – but the problem continued sporadically. That’s when Dr. Chris Dietrich called the Patterson Anesthesia Hotline. Sharon Mack, a specialist on the line, walked him through a series of detailed troubleshooting steps. Though the machines checked out fine, she urged him to inspect the breathing circuits more closely.

Skeptical given their routine maintenance, Dr. Dietrich still followed her advice. To his surprise, one F-circuit had a rare, hidden twist in the inner tubing – a nearly invisible flaw causing the abnormal readings. Once replaced, the issue vanished completely.

Thanks to the Hotline team, truBOND added “breathing circuit inspection” to their pre-anesthesia checklist.

“Their support not only saved me hours of frustration but also gave me peace of mind that my equipment was functioning safely,” Dr. Dietrich said. “We have since educated our team and shared this potential risk with any veterinary professional that visits truBOND. We also added ‘breathing circuit inspection’ to our pre-anesthesia checklist. The Hotline team truly helps us protect our patients – and I believe they save lives.”

Patterson Anesthesia Hotline Team. From left to right: Sharon Mack, Nicole Buchanon, Sarah Zabel.

Fielding All Manner of Calls

Whether it’s when a veterinary patient begins to wake up mid-procedure or an anesthesia machine suddenly develops a leak, the Patterson Anesthesia Hotline – a specialized support line staffed by experienced Certified Veterinary Technicians (CVTs) like Sarah Zabel and Sharon Mack – is ready and waiting to field all manner of veterinary practice calls.

“We get a lot of calls about patients waking up on the table or teams struggling to locate a leak in the anesthesia machine,” said Mack. “These are high-stress moments, and our goal is to help resolve the issue quickly and safely.”

For Zabel and Mack, the hotline is more than just technical support – it’s a way to stay connected to patient care. “I love that I can still be a CVT and make a difference for animals, even outside the clinical setting,” said Zabel.

Their background in emergency and specialty hospitals allows them to provide frontline insight into real-world anesthesia challenges. “A lot of the questions we get – like when to change out the sodasorb or why the breathing bag is too full – come from teams who don’t get in-depth equipment training in school,” Mack added.

One common misconception they work to clear up is the reuse of equipment not designed for veterinary settings. “Breathing bags and circuits are often reused in vet med, but they’re made for single use in human medicine. That leads to leaks and potential risk to patients,” said Zabel.

Hotline calls also reflect seasonal trends. Winter months often bring an uptick in inquiries about vaporizer exchange programs, possibly due to more staff availability for preventive maintenance. Interestingly, calls tend to come in “waves” on similar topics. “We still haven’t figured out why,” Mack laughed.

Some calls stand out for their urgency – or their surprises. In one case, a customer sent in a photo of an anesthesia canister entirely covered in duct tape. “You couldn’t even see the absorbent,” said Mack. “A picture really is worth a thousand words.”

The hotline has even helped prevent potentially fatal outcomes. “We once located a dangerous occlusion during a pressure test. If they’d proceeded with anesthesia, it could’ve ended tragically,” recalled Zabel.

Their advice to clinics is simple: pressure test the machine before every procedure. It’s a small step that can make a life-saving difference.

“We’re here to educate and support,” said Zabel. “Because when equipment runs smoothly, patients stay safer.”

In a story for Patterson’s customer-facing magazine Insights, the Patterson Anesthesia Hotline team shared common questions they field. These included:

  • “Why would a patient be having trouble going under anesthesia?”
  • “Why is the breathing bag so full when the pop-off valve is wide open?”
  • “Why is the ball in the oxygen flowmeter still floating when the flowmeter knob is tightened down/turned off? Why am I no longer able to control the ball inside the oxygen flowmeter when I turn the flowmeter knob?”

Photos courtesy of Patterson Veterinary.

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