GRH ECC Principles

  Shock is a common presentation and rapid assessment, identification and treatment can be lifesaving. Olivia Walesby, an ECC resident at the University of Edinburgh, provides notes on approaching this condition.

Fever vs hyperthermia: the approach to the hot patient

• Understand the difference between fever and hyperthermia
• Identify clinical signs which indicate fever over hyperthermia
• Apply this understanding to emergency management of a high temperature

The heat stroke patient: what can I do?

• Recognise the signs of life-threatening heat-stroke
• Describe the emergency interventions for acute heatstroke
• Identify patients that require intensive treatment

Karen Humm discusses aspects of dealing with an emergency presentation. She covers triage both on the telephone and in situ alongside ABCs, taking a capsule history and major body systems assessment. She then takes us through an examination of several case examples. This hour long webinar was first broadcast as part of BSAVA’s Learn@Lunch series. Learn@Lunch broadcasts are available to BSAVA members only and are free to attend - visit the education page of the BSAVA website for details of future Learn@Lunch webinars. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.

Antibacterial therapy is among the most important and commonly used therapeutic interventions in the critical patient. However, critically ill patients are also among those at greatest risk for development of antibacterial resistance. This chapter provides guidance on diagnosis and antibacterial therapy of infections as well as the prevention and treatment of hospital-acquired infections.

This chapter considers the causes, clinical signs, diagnosis and management of the following endocrine emergencies: diabetic ketoacidosis, insulinoma, hypoadrenocorticism, hyperaldosteronism, hyperadrenocorticism, hyperparathyroidism, hypoparathyroidism and phaeochromocytoma.

‘Practice makes perfect’ is useful advice in most fields of human activity – but even more so in a crisis, when lives may depend on a rapid, well-drilled response.

Vascular access is a vital skill in small animal practice and while generally straightforward in a healthy animal it can be more challenging in very small or debilitated patients, or when long-term access is needed. Nele van den Steen describes the process.