Safe Sedation and Anesthesia of Patients with Cardiac Disease
Patients with cardiac disease present unique sedation and anesthesia challenges. This session will discuss the peri-anesthetic considerations that are useful in developing a sedation and general anesthesia plan. We’ll discuss planning and patient preparation from pre-hospital admission through discharge to home.
Kris Kruse-Elliott
DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVAA
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Feline Cardiac Emergencies
Cardiac emergencies are common in the veterinary ER and like most things involving cats – cardiac issues present special challenges. The most common cardiac emergencies in cats are feline atrial thromboembolism (FATE), congestive heart failure (CHF), and arrhythmias. We will review cardiac anatomy and physiology before moving on to discuss the specific disease processes. We will examine the difficulties faced in cats with cardiac disease, and how to manage them.
Melissa Evans
LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)
Time: 1:10 pm - 2:10 pm
Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Arrhythmias
This practical, case-based session will help veterinarians confidently use the ECG in everyday canine and feline practice. Attendees will learn when to perform an ECG, how to obtain high-quality tracings, and how to identify common arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities. ECG waveforms, measurements, and mean electrical axis will be reviewed with a focus on clinical relevance, including how findings guide diagnosis and treatment decisions. The session concludes with real ECG examples to reinforce rhythm recognition and interpretation skills.
Allison Gagnon
DVM, MS, DACVIM (Cardiology)
Time: 2:20 pm - 3:20 pm
VetCE Virtual: Matters of the Heart: Cardiology Insights for the Everyday Practice
February 28, 2026 @ 12 pm - 3:30 pm ET
Agenda
Speakers
Kris Kruse-Elliott
DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVAA
Dr. Kris Kruse-Elliott earned her BS and DVM from Oregon State University followed by a year in mixed animal practice in Seattle. She completed an anesthesia residency at North Carolina State University and is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Following her residency, Dr. Kruse stayed at NCSU as a NIH postdoctoral fellow and received a PhD in pulmonary physiology before moving to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she spent 15 years as tenured faculty and served as Section Head for the Anesthesia service. While at UW, she was active in both clinical and basic science research in anesthesia and physiology and has continued clinical research activities collaborating with The Marine Mammal Center in northern California. In 2006 she returned to the west coast to serve as the Medical Director and Anesthesiologist for AnimalScan (formerly Iams Pet Imaging). Dr. Kruse joined SAGE Veterinary Centers in 2018 as their first anesthesiologist, starting their anesthesia specialty service and building it into a robust service with 5 board-certified anesthesiologists. She continues to support anesthesia of complex cases and training in anesthesia and analgesia for through a combination of on-site anesthesia support and teleconsulting.
Melissa Evans
LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)
Melissa is a credentialed veterinary technician who earned her specialty in Emergency and Critical Care in 2018. Melissa has worked at referral and specialty hospitals in both New Jersey and New York as an Emergency, ICU and Critical Care technician. She has experience in shelter, wildlife and disaster medicine.
In her position as owner of Melissa Evans, VTS (ECC) – Veterinary Nurse Consulting, Melissa provides both virtual and in-hospital hands-on training in advanced skills. She is a RECOVER CPR Certified Instructor and has served as the Master of Ceremonies for the RECOVER Battles at IVECCS since 2022. Melissa has spoken at both national and international conferences and webinars, including IVECCS, EVECCS, VMX and WVC. She has been published in multiple journals, is completing work on a book and is a featured presenter on MyVetCandy.com. Additionally, Melissa serves as Director on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA).
Melissa lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, son and three cats. In her free time she enjoys Pilates, exploring the city with her family and watching British crime shows.
Allison Gagnon
DVM, MS, DACVIM (Cardiology)
Dr. Allison Gagnon graduated from UC Davis with a DVM in 2016. She completed a rotating internship at North Carolina State University in 2017 and a cardiology residency and master’s degree at Colorado State University in 2020. She is board certified in veterinary cardiology. She worked as a lecturer at Cornell University until 2021. She is currently an assistant professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Her research interests include advanced arrhythmia treatment.
Why Attend?
The VetCE Virtual event series of micro-conferences is designed to deliver multiple approved RACE and/or CVPM CE credits in a concise, half-day virtual format with three consecutive one-hour presentations. The series not only provides you with the opportunity to benefit from educational sessions presented by expert speakers but also offers an easy way to learn and earn credits from the comfort of your home or office!
VetCE Virtual events cover a wide range of topics, from detailed medical discussions to practice management and other non-medical subjects relevant to everyday situations encountered by veterinary professionals. If you’ve already registered and happen to miss the live event, no worries, you’ll be given access to the OnDemand courses once they become available (typically about three weeks after the live event) Recordings of the sessions will be accessible for viewing for 2 weeks following each event, providing participants with a valuable reference.
Please be advised that we can not issue CE certificates for only viewing the session recordings. Anyone who registers for a VetCE Virtual event but is unable to attend the live sessions will get free access to the VetCE OnDemand courses we create from the recordings on VetMedTeam so you can still get CE credits!
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