A Dog Is a Doctor's Best Friend: The Use of a Service Dog as a Perioperative Assistant.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Service dogs are beneficial in providing assistance to people with multiple types of disabilities and medical disorders including visual impairment, physical disabilities, seizure disorders, diabetes, and mental illness. Some service animals have been trained as a screening tool for cancer. We review a case involving a 6-year-old female with a history of mast cell mediator release and immediate hypersensitivity due to the urticaria pigmentosa variant of cutaneous mastocytosis who underwent a cystourethroscopy. Her service dog, JJ, who would alert to mast cell mediator release, was used throughout the perioperative course as a means of anxiolysis and comfort and to monitor for mast cell mediator release. This case presents an example of a service dog used in a family-care model in the field of anesthesiology and provides a unique example of using a service dog as an additional monitor to alert the care team for impending mast cell mediator release.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Tew, S; Taicher, BM

Published Date

  • 2016

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 2016 /

Start / End Page

  • 9013520 -

PubMed ID

  • 27843665

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC5097803

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 2090-6803

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1155/2016/9013520

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • United States