Vet Times

Tag: Haemorrhage

  • Emesis: a thing of the past?

    Emesis: a thing of the past?

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    Until I started researching this Tip of The Week, I did not know the medical profession has abandoned the routine use of emesis in oral poisoning. This is based on multiple medical literatures that have proven emesis induction does not influence the clinical severity of poisoning, the length of hospitalisation and the clinical outcome or…

  • Making sense of effusions (part 2): effusion analysis

    Making sense of effusions (part 2): effusion analysis

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    Last month we talked about how to determine if your effusion was septic. This time, let’s look into further evaluation of effusion samples. If the effusion is haemorrhagic, here are some things to look out for. Real or iatrogenic origin? Blood rapidly defibrinates in cavities – so if it clots, it is iatrogenic. If it…

  • AFAST, part 1

    AFAST, part 1

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    AFAST = Abdominal Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma In the emergency setting, focused ultrasound examinations are increasingly being used as extensions of the physical examination. The goal is the identification of life-threatening conditions – such as internal bleeding or organ rupture – but can also assist in tracking conditions over a period of time.…

  • Head trauma, part 3: hypertonic saline 7% or mannitol?

    Head trauma, part 3: hypertonic saline 7% or mannitol?

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    As discussed in part 1 and part 2 of this series, many dogs and cats can recover from severe brain injuries if systemic and neurological abnormalities are identified and managed appropriately and early enough. The initial trauma to the brain parenchyma is followed by secondary damage resulting from haemorrhage, ischaemia and oedema. As the brain…

  • Lexicus veterinaris

    Lexicus veterinaris

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    It was tough being a medical practitioner in the middle ages. The science of anatomy was advancing nicely – because one of humanity’s strengths throughout history has been making sure people’s innards ended up as outtards, giving scientifically minded people ample opportunity to study them (provided it wasn’t their own outtards, in which case they…

  • Standing surgery

    Standing surgery

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    On my latest EMS placement at an equine hospital, I’ve seen a number of surgeries – some done under general anaesthesia (GA) and others under standing sedation. After getting over the fact a horse can stand half asleep while having its face drilled into and not really seem to care, I started wondering about the…