Steve C. Haskins

Monitoring the Critically Ill Patient

Monitoring is the key to a successful critical care endeavor. It is the only way in which we know if we did a good thing and if we did enough of it (or too much). Oftentimes, the decision to treat or not to treat is made difficult by the paucity of information available. The secret is to make an intuitive decision and then monitor the patient to see if it was the right or the wrong decision. Most wrong decisions can be caught and corrected long before the patient has suffered the consequences. Go forth, and monitor!

The case for in circuit vaporizers.

In circuit vaporizers have some characteristics that differ from out of circuit vaporizers. In circuit vaporizers are easy to use, effective, and offer several clinical advantages.

Feline trauma and critical care medicine.

The initial management of the traumatized cat can be a challenging, but rewarding, task for the veterinarian. The pathophysiology of shock, its clinical presentation, and basic elements of treatment are universal to all species. Special care must be taken when dealing with injured cats, due to their increased susceptibility to stress and tendency toward severe hypothermia in shock. The development of pulmonary edema in response to excessive fluid loads, especially in the face of pulmonary injury, must be borne in mind when establishing treatment regimens. The keys to successful management of the traumatized cat lie in correct assessment of the extent and nature of injuries, rapid institution of rational therapy, and constant re-evaluation of the animals response throughout the post-traumatic period.