The Webinar Vet is excited to present this month's essential webinar: "Your Patient is Crashing: Practical Tips for Assessing and Stabilising Emergency Patients." This session is a must-attend for all veterinary practitioners looking to enhance their skills in emergency medicine.

Webinar Overview:

In this comprehensive session, Dr Bill Saxon delves into the critical aspects of assessing and stabilising patients presenting with emergency conditions. The focus is on the initial evaluation and treatment, providing practical tips that can be immediately applied in your practice. Key areas covered include physical examinations, quick laboratory assessments, imaging, and monitoring. Even without a definitive diagnosis, you will learn how to provide appropriate supportive therapy.

Learning Objectives:

- Understand the importance of monitoring to determine treatment success.

- Apply basic principles of emergency medical treatment aimed at maintaining oxygen delivery to organs pending a definitive diagnosis and specific therapy.

- Interpret laboratory parameters and imaging results as guides to making a rapid diagnosis.

- Design an appropriate initial diagnostic workup applicable to any emergency patient.

- Accurately assess critical organ systems in emergency patients.

RACE Approved:

This webinar is RACE approved by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, ensuring it meets the highest standards of continuing education.

Key Takeaways:

1. Importance of Oxygen Delivery:

Dr Bill Saxon begins the webinar by emphasising that the primary goal in emergency situations is to ensure oxygen delivery to cells. Treatment priorities include administering fluids, controlling pain to manage arrhythmias, and providing blood products and supplemental oxygen.

2. ABCs of Emergency Care:

Dr Saxon explains the critical ABCs (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) and highlights the importance of focusing on four critical organ systems:

• Respiratory: Look for signs such as cyanosis, open-mouth breathing, and laboured or rapid breathing.

• Cardiovascular: Watch for pale gums, weak pulse, collapse, and signs of cardiopulmonary arrest.

• Neurologic: Be alert to seizures, ataxia, stupor, and coma.

• Urinary: Note inability to urinate, presence of blood, and unusual discharge.

-Trauma: Identify bleeding, open wounds, fractures, and ocular injuries.

3. Advanced Techniques:

The webinar also covers advanced techniques such as nasal oxygen therapy for extended care and thoracocentesis, a potentially life-saving procedure. Dr Saxon provides a step-by-step guide on performing these interventions.

4. Fluid Therapy:

Fluid therapy is discussed in detail, with a focus on avoiding hypervolemia to minimise complications. Protecting the endothelial glycocalyx is crucial to effective fluid management. Dr Saxon outlines the signs of fluid overload and the importance of monitoring resuscitation endpoints.

5. Laboratory Tests and Diagnostics:

Dr Saxon recommends performing immediate tests like blood glucose and lactate upon patient arrival. Tests such as electrolytes should be done within 15-30 minutes, while coagulation tests can be completed within an hour. These diagnostics help in making rapid and informed decisions.

Case Studies:

To illustrate the practical application of these principles, Dr Saxon discusses several case studies, detailing patient history, physical examination findings, and treatment outcomes.

Conclusion:

This webinar is packed with valuable content, practical tips, and in-depth explanations, making it an indispensable resource for veterinary professionals. We highly recommend attending to enhance your emergency care skills and improve patient outcomes.