Medicine/Critical Care
90th FVMA Annual Conference
Christine A. Culler, DVM, MS, DACVECC
Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas
The emergency doctor has the benefit of getting daily practice with procedures and treatments that other doctors may find somewhat intimidating. This lecture will try to alleviate some of the stress and hesitation about various ER procedures that could be lifesaving, as well as tips on common emergency medications. It will also focus on utilizing readily available equipment, becoming familiar with indications for a procedure and balancing risk-benefit. Thoracocentesis and abdominocentesis can be therapeutically and diagnostically beneficial for a patient, with the former potentially being lifesaving, especially for trauma patients suffering from pneumothorax or cats in congestive heart failure. Pericardiocentesis is often a very rewarding procedure, resulting in near instantaneous improvement in the patient’s cardiac output. There are various methods of placing a chest tube, each with a variety of pros and cons that are useful to be aware of, and placement of a tube can reduce the need for repeated thoracocentesis and be useful for treatment of conditions such as pyothorax. GDVs often require decompression to achieve adequate stabilization and a comparison between trocharization and orogastric tubes will be discussed. Dosages and indications for emergency drugs such as dextrose, hypertonic saline, mannitol, midazolam, and treatments for hyperkalemia and hypocalcemia, will be discussed.