This week the Cornell University Feline Health Center posted a report on their Facebook page about the negative consequences of using spring-loaded mouth gags in cats. The story soon went viral, popping up in the newsfeeds of hundreds of veterinary professionals around the world.
Last month the NHS European office announced a new directive: ‘Protecting healthcare workers from sharps injuries’. Lisa Lines looks at what this means to those working in veterinary practice.
Efficient storage of stock can save time and money, as items are easier to find and less likely to be damaged or go out of date, leading to a more harmonious and less stressful environment for all team members. So how well does your practice measure up?
Head trauma patients are commonly seen within veterinary practice, and the treatment of these patients can prove challenging. In order to achieve a positive outcome in these cases, patients require intensive treatment and nursing care. Nurses play a vital role in monitoring these patients, and alerting the veterinary surgeon to any changes in their condition. The mainstays of therapy include intravenous fluids and hyperosmolar agents, with the administration of corticosteroids being somewhat outdated.
One of the everyday roles of veterinary nursing is dispensing medications, but there are many requirements to the process that are often unknown or misunderstood in dispensing. Likewise in prescribing and the roles of the SQP. This article discusses the differences between prescribing and dispensing and the legal requirements that as a regulated profession have to be adhered to.
The first part of this article explored the concepts of identifying high risk patients, correct preparation of intravenous catheter sites and using ultrasound to monitor catheter sites. This part of the article will explore the merits of using self-disinfecting catheter caps, dressings, culturing catheters and a catheter care bundle to help prevent intravenous catheter complications in horses. The development and use of a specific catheter care bundle could raise the standards of care for hospitalised horses and enhance the knowledge and skills held by the registered equine veterinary nurses looking after them.
The use and management of urinary catheters has been widely researched in the human field, and to a lesser extent in the veterinary field for many decades. The catheterisation of the urinary bladder via the urethra and the methods of collecting the draining urine from catheters is deemed an important area of clinical research due to the high risk of the development of urinary tract infections (UTIs), and specifically catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in hospitalised patients. This article aims to explore the literature available, both human and veterinary, relating to urinary catheterisation and the methods of collection, and provide recommendations for the use of urinary catheters and closed-collection systems in veterinary practice in an effort to reduce the number of CAUTI cases.
This article describes the importance of electrocardiogram interpretation in relation to some of the more common arrhythmias seen in veterinary practice. It discusses and illustrates those arrhythmias that are life threatening, providing clear explanation as to why they are so dangerous. Other common arrhythmias are explored, which perhaps are less clinically significant, but are nevertheless, seen frequently.
Traumatic wounds are commonly seen in veterinary practice, and can have a wide range of aetiology and severity. What all traumatic wounds have in common is that they present with the same impediments to healing: bacterial contamination; foreign material; and necrotic tissue. These impediments will be present in varying degrees depending on the aetiology and the time elapsed since injury, but in all cases they need to be addressed in the early stages of wound management. Wound lavage and debridement are commonly performed with the aim of producing a healthy wound bed. This article looks at how wounds are managed following lavage; utilising debridement techniques to remove necrotic tissue and foreign material from the wound, progressing the wound to a point where closure can be considered.
Knowledge about cats with hyperthyroidism is increasing, meaning that more information is available to owners and carers. The Veterinary Nurse board member, Stacey Crompton, has taken a look at Sarah Caney's revised book, Caring for a cat with hyperthyroidism.