The short answer
This guide holds 12 original practice questions, written by our desk, covering anesthetic monitoring, equipment and waste anesthetic gas, and complications and recovery. Each question has one keyed answer and a short rationale tied to a published guideline, review or peer-reviewed clinical article. The questions are not real exam items and are not drawn from any question bank. The page also summarizes what the exam owner's published study page says about the exam's structure. Several questions rely on the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) anesthesia guidelines, which are cat-specific.
Key takeaways
- Normal end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) in anesthetized small animals is about 35 to 45 mm Hg, according to a Today's Veterinary Nurse capnography article [5].
- ETCO2 usually reads 5 to 10 mm Hg below arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) because of alveolar dead space, per Today's Veterinary Practice [4].
- The AAFP panel recommends non-rebreathing circuits in all cats, with oxygen flow of at least 200 ml/kg/min "usually recommended", while noting that modern circle systems with minimal dead space can also be used safely in cats over 3 kg [2].
- NIOSH recommended that no worker be exposed above a 2 ppm ceiling of any halogenated agent over a sampling period of up to one hour, according to OSHA [8].
- Heat is lost from anesthetized patients by radiation, convection, conduction and evaporation, per Today's Veterinary Nurse [7].
- The AAFP guidelines state that 60% of anesthetic-related cat deaths occur during recovery, especially the first 3 hours [2].
Doses on this pageEvery dose below is quoted from the cited source. Verify against the current label/formulary and the patient's full clinical picture.
About these questionsPractice questions written by our editorial team for study purposes. These are not real VTNE items and are not affiliated with AAVSB.
Anesthesia on the VTNE
The American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) publishes a content outline for the VTNE and calls it "one of the most important materials to review" before the exam [1]. According to the AAVSB study page, the exam is organized into 10 domain areas, and the AAVSB sells three versions of an online practice test at $50 USD per attempt, each with 75 questions in 90 minutes [1]. The fetched page does not list domain names or their weights, so this guide does not state them. The AAVSB says species covered follow the AVMA Standards of Accreditation skills list, and that practice-test questions are copyrighted and may not be removed, including by memorization [1].
Monitoring
Question 1
A technician is watching the capnograph on an anesthetized dog with normal ventilation. Which range of ETCO2 values would be expected?
- A. 15 to 25 mm Hg
- B. 25 to 30 mm Hg
- C. 35 to 45 mm Hg
- D. 55 to 65 mm Hg
Answer: C. Today's Veterinary Nurse gives normal ETCO2 in anesthetized small animals as approximately 35 to 45 mm Hg, and notes values above 55 mm Hg may indicate hypoventilation [5].
Question 2
In an anesthetized patient, ETCO2 commonly reads lower than PaCO2. What explains most of this difference?
- A. Alveolar dead space
- B. Exhausted carbon dioxide absorbent
- C. Esophageal intubation
- D. Low fresh gas flow
Answer: A. Today's Veterinary Practice reports that ETCO2 usually underestimates PaCO2 by 5 to 10 mm Hg, a gap it attributes to increased alveolar dead space under anesthesia [4].
Question 3
During a case on a circle (rebreathing) system, the capnogram baseline stays above zero between breaths. Which cause is most likely?
- A. Esophageal intubation
- B. Hyperventilation from a light plane
- C. A partially kinked endotracheal tube
- D. Exhausted carbon dioxide absorbent
Answer: D. Per Today's Veterinary Nurse, a baseline that fails to return to zero indicates rebreathing, most often from exhausted absorbent, malfunctioning one-way valves or inadequate fresh gas flow; an absent waveform suggests esophageal intubation, and a kinked tube produces a "shark fin" shape [5].
Question 4
Which blood pressure value does the ultrasonic Doppler method measure?
- A. Systolic, diastolic and mean
- B. Systolic only
- C. Mean only
- D. Diastolic only
Answer: B. Today's Veterinary Practice states the Doppler method measures only systolic pressure, while oscillometric devices report systolic, diastolic and mean values [4].
Question 5
A pulse oximeter reads an SpO2 of 90%. Approximately which PaO2 does this correspond to?
- A. 200 mm Hg
- B. 100 mm Hg
- C. 60 mm Hg
- D. 30 mm Hg
Answer: C. According to Today's Veterinary Practice, an SpO2 of 90% corresponds to a PaO2 of 60 mm Hg, and either value at or below that level indicates hypoxemia [4].
Equipment and waste anesthetic gas
Question 6
The AAFP feline guidelines favor non-rebreathing circuits for cats. Which feature supports that preference?
- A. Lower resistance to breathing and minimal equipment dead space
- B. Better conservation of body heat
- C. Lower oxygen flow rates than a circle system
- D. Reliance on a carbon dioxide absorbent
Answer: A. The AAFP guidelines say non-rebreathing circuits offer less resistance than rebreathing circuits and have low equipment dead space; the same guidelines note their high flows may increase heat loss and that they prevent rebreathing with flow rather than absorbent [2].
Question 7
A 3 kg cat is placed on a non-rebreathing circuit. Using the minimum oxygen flow of 200 ml/kg/min cited in the AAFP guidelines, what flow is required?
- A. 0.2 l/min
- B. 0.3 l/min
- C. 6.0 l/min
- D. 0.6 l/min
Answer: D. The AAFP guidelines state that at least 200 ml/kg/min is usually recommended for non-rebreathing circuits, and their table lists 0.6 l/min as the minimum for a 3 kg cat [2].
Question 8
According to the NIOSH recommendation summarized by OSHA, what is the ceiling concentration for any halogenated anesthetic agent?
- A. 25 ppm
- B. 2 ppm
- C. 50 ppm
- D. 200 ppm
Answer: B. OSHA reports that NIOSH recommended no worker be exposed above 2 ppm of any halogenated agent over a sampling period not exceeding one hour; 25 ppm is the NIOSH limit for nitrous oxide used alone, and 50 ppm is the ACGIH value for nitrous oxide [8].
Question 9
A practice uses an activated charcoal canister for waste gas disposal. Which gas will the canister fail to capture?
- A. Nitrous oxide
- B. Isoflurane
- C. Sevoflurane
- D. Halothane
Answer: A. OSHA states that activated charcoal canisters "will effectively adsorb the vapors of halogenated anesthetics but not N2O" [8].
Complications, patient status and recovery
Question 10
An anesthetized cat is positioned directly on a bare stainless steel table. Which heat loss mechanism does this contact cause?
- A. Radiation
- B. Convection
- C. Conduction
- D. Evaporation
Answer: C. Today's Veterinary Nurse describes conduction as the transfer of body heat to a cooler surface the body touches, giving a metal table as an example; it names radiation as the most common mechanism overall [7].
Question 11
A cat scheduled for a dental procedure has well-controlled diabetes mellitus. Using the ASA examples in the AAFP guidelines, which physical status class fits?
- A. PS 1
- B. PS 2
- C. PS 4
- D. PS 3
Answer: D. The AAFP guidelines define PS 3 as "severe systemic disease limiting activity but not incapacitating" and give well-controlled diabetes mellitus as the example [2].
Question 12
In which phase do the AAFP guidelines report that most anesthetic-related cat deaths occur?
- A. Premedication
- B. Recovery
- C. Induction
- D. Maintenance
Answer: B. The AAFP guidelines state that 60% of anesthetic-related cat deaths occur during recovery, especially the first 3 hours, and call for monitoring with the same vigilance as during anesthesia [2].
