Week 6 - Patient Care

Question 1

What is the purpose of patient care, how do you achieve this

Answer 1

Monitoring and treating their medical conditions as well as tending to physical and mental comfort

Patient comfort (mental and physical)
Prevent/reduce suffering 
Ensure adequate food and water 
Treat pain 
Reduce anxiety and stress

Question 2

What are job roles of a VT?

Answer 2

• Hygiene - prevent nosocomial infection and prevent
  transmission of zoonotic disease
• Cage set up
• Bedding (prevent bed sores by extra soft bedding, more
  padding between bony limbs and check regularly for
  redness and swelling)
• Food: some may not eat due to condition but important
  to supply nutrition
• Water: access to water, even if patient has IV fluids
  only time water is withheld is if inefficient gag reflex,
  severe vomiting/ regurgitation or recovering from
  anaesthesia
  Walking the patient

Question 3

What is a recumbent patient, and what causes it?

Answer 3

Lying down and is unable to raise

Spinal disease
Tick Paralysis 
Anaesthesia 
Ventilators 
Arthritis 
Seizures

Question 4

What types of recumbency do you get?

Answer 4

Left
Right
dorsal
Sternal/ventral

Question 5

What are the goals for recumbent Patients

Answer 5

1. improve the comfort
2. prevent pressure sores
3. Prevent Atelectasis
4. Provide pain relief
5. Ensure urination/defecation

Question 6

What is Atelectasis

Answer 6

is a complete or partial collapse of the entire lung or area (lobe) of the lung. It occurs when the tiny air sacs (alveoli) within the lung become deflated or possibly filled with alveolar fluid.

Question 7

What are methods in which a nurse can alleviate discomfort for the animal?

Answer 7

1. Analgesia
2. Physiotherapy to prevent muscle atrophy
3. Urinary care - manual expression of bladder, and urinary catheter
4. Ocular care
5. Oral Care

Question 8

What type of patients are at risk of not urinating?

Answer 8

1. tick paralysis
2. Snack Envenomation
3. Spinal disease
4. Pelvic Fractures

Question 9

In regards to recumbent patient care using urinary catheters. What are complication and care factors involved?

Answer 9

The urine output is measured every 4-6 hours
normal amount it 1-2ml/kg/.hr
Complications
- bacterial infections
- urethral trauma
- patient discomfort
preventive - wipe chlorhexidine to wipe exposed portion of urinary catheter and skin around prepuce or vulve

Question 10

What patients are more likely at risk for ocular problems?

Answer 10

Anaesthesia
ventilator
tick paralysis

Can cause ulcerations due to drying of mucosal surface from lack of blinking

Question 11

What types of IV catheters do you get?

Answer 11

Arterial
Jugular
Central
Peripheral

Question 12

How do you take care if IV Catheter?

Answer 12

1. Unwrap and check catheter every 24 hours
   
   • flush to check patency
   • assess insertion site

Question 13

When do you replace an IV catheter?

Answer 13

Swelling or inflammation present
wet or soiled
catheter not flushing
catheter tip is not fully inserted into vein