Emergency Medicine/Critical Care Flashcards
VTNE
True or false, it is best to leave ports open on central venous catheters?
False - Ports should not be left open on central venous catheters. It is best to always close central venous catheter ports in order to avoid air embolus, blood loss, and contamination.
Which type of solution is known to have an osmotic pressure higher than plasma: Osmotic, Hypotonic, Hypertonic, or Isotonic?
Hypertonic solutions are known to have an osmotic pressure higher than plasma. The comparison of different solutions’ osmotic pressure is known as tonicity.
What nutrient is helpful in correcting clotting times for an animal who has ingested rodenticide: Sodium, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Potassium?
Vitamin K plays a major role in the body’s ability to form blood clots.
What are pulmonary contusions?
Edema and blood collected within the alveolar space. Result of blunt nonpenetrating trauma - aka a deep lung bruise
What is differential diagnosis?
A possible diagnosis that must be ruled out. A systematic diagnostic method that identifies multiple alternatives in which some alternatives will need to be ruled out. Patients will have multiple differential diagnoses before a definitive diagnosis is reached.
Opisthotonus is most commonly seen in which type of trauma: blunt trauma to the head, thoracic trauma after vehicle collision, piercing trauma which causes a tear in supportive tissues, or post-surgical trauma?
Blunt trauma to the head
Anisocoria may be a symptom of which of the following: pulmonary contusions, intervertebral disc rupture, neurologic diseases, or hypovolemia?
Neurologic Diseases - Anisocoria is used to describe a difference in the size of the pupils, which may be an indication of various ocular and neurologic diseases. May also indicate that the patient has a lesion in the neck or lung apex.
Severe sepsis may result in which of the following: hypertension, dehydration, hyperglycemia, or hypotension?
Hypotension - Severe sepsis causes insufficient blood flow or poor organ function, which results in low blood pressure, low urine output, or high blood lactate. Sepsis is an active infection during systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).
What important step must be taken prior to administering emergency antibiotic therapy to a patient with a septic infection: Perform a blood chemistry analysis; Obtain a urine sample; Obtain a blood culture; or Perform a complete blood count?
Blood cultures must be obtained before beginning intravenous antibiotic therapy, as antibiotics will alter blood culture results. After the intravenous antibiotic therapy, another blood culture will be collected. Sepsis is an indication that the body is being harmed by bacteria or fungi.
When a large animal has a musculoskeletal injury and cannot stand or ambulate, it is at great risk for which of the following: shock, fracture, joint luxation, or muscle damage?
Muscle Damage - When a large animal has a musculoskeletal injury and cannot stand or ambulate, it is at risk for muscle damage. Muscle damage and sores are secondary problems for down animals due to compression.
What is the term used to describe a patient’s condition involving painful and paradoxical breathing: hyperventilation, flail chest, hypoventilation, or dysphoria?
Flail chest is the term used to describe a patient’s condition involving painful and paradoxical breathing. Paradoxical breathing is a result of the flail segment moving in the opposite direction of the rest of the chest wall, due to pressure variances inside the chest.
In emergencies involving young puppies or kittens, which of the following locations is ideal for IV catheter placement: Left brachiocephalic, jugular, medial saphenous, or lateral saphenous?
Jugular - Can also be placed via peripheral catheter placement, but is much more challenging and time consuming because this method requires a very small bore hole, which the jugular does not.
What is the underlying cause of cardiogenic pulmonary edema: Liver malfunction, Neurologic disease, Gastrointestinal dysfunction, or Heart dysfunction?
Heart dysfunction - Over time, chronic heart dysfunction causes an increase in pulmonary venous pressure. To alleviate this pressure, fluid leaks into the extravascular space. This fluid leakage causes a build-up in the lungs (pulmonary edema).
Choanal atresia is an emergency condition often seen in alpacas because they are semi-obligate nasal breathers. What does this mean?
They cannot effectively pass air through their mouths. Therefore, if an alpaca’s nasopharynx entrance is blocked, it cannot efficiently pass air, which causes cloanal atresia.
Photophobia is a term used to describe which of the following: Sensitivity to movement/vibration; Sensitivity to light; Sensitivity to sound; or Sensitivity to touch?
Sensitivity to light - Common symptom of eye injuries and ingestion of certain toxins.
Phonophobia - sensitivity to sound; Hyperesthesia - increased sensitivity to touch; Motion sickness - sensitivity to movement
