• Use the Rule of 20 for critical veterinary monitoring

    The Veterinary Nursing Guide to Monitoring Critical Patients: The Rule of 20 examines each parameter in the Rule of 20, a checklist of 20 parameters that should be monitored daily in critical veterinary patients. The book explains what is being monitored and why, with parameters organized in a logical order for creating nursing plans. It emphasizes how each rule affects the others and how to use that knowledge to anticipate patient needs. Each chapter focuses on a single parameter and its practical application and includes a summary of nursing considerations. The book also features examples to illustrate the Rule of 20 fundamentals.

    The Veterinary Nursing Guide to Monitoring Critical Patients: The Rule of 20 discusses:

    • Fluid balance and colloidal osmotic pressure, oxygenation and ventilation, blood pressure, heart rate, rhythm, and contractility, and glucose and glucose
    • Temperature, electrolyte and acid-base balance, mentation, and red blood cell and hemoglobin concentration
    • Gastrointestinal motility and mucosal integrity, nutrition, renal function, coagulation, and immune status and antibiotic use
    • Drug dosage and metabolism, pain control, nursing care and patient mobilization, wound care and bandage change, and tender loving care

    The Veterinary Nursing Guide to Monitoring Critical Patients: The Rule of 20 is an excellent resource for veterinary technicians, particularly those in Emergency and Critical Care (ECC), to anticipate patient needs and prepare for complications, as well as for technicians working toward their Veterinary Technician Specialty.

  • .

    List of Contributors vii
    Preface viii
    Acknowledgements ix
    About the Companion Website x

    1 Introduction 1
    Melissa Evans, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)

    2 Fluid Balance 3
    Chloe Fay, BSc (Hons), RVN, CertVN ECC, NCert (Anesthesia), VTS (ECC)

    3 Oxygenation and Ventilation 16
    Nicole Dickerson, RVT, VTS (ECC)

    4 Heart Rate, Rhythm, and Contractility 28
    Cherise Johnson, LVT, VTS (Cardiology)

    5 Body Temperature 43
    Bree Carmichiel, LVT, VTS (ECC) and Laura Waller, RVT

    6 Blood Pressure 55
    Sarah Harris, CVT, VTS (ECC)

    7 Neurological Status 66
    Zoe Hatfield, RVN, VTS (Neurology) and Melissa Evans, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)

    8 Electrolytes 82
    Marlaina Hrosch, LVT, RVT, VTS (ECC)

    9 Acid–Base Balance 93
    Samantha Baine, LVT VTS (ECC), Haven Bade, LVT, MVEd., VTS (ECC and Anesthesia and Analgesia), FFCP

    10 Red Blood Cells and Hemoglobin 106
    Lexi Dickens, BS, LVT, RVT, VTS (ECC)

    11 Coagulation 120
    Kara Magneheim, BAS, CVT, VTS (ECC)

    12 Albumin and Colloid Osmotic Pressure 136
    Renee L Brown, DipVN, RVNS, VTS (ECC)

    13 Renal Function 147
    Jaima Gropp, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC), CCFP, Elite FFCP (Veterinary and Veterinary-Avian)

    14 Gastrointestinal Motility and Integrity 157
    Amber Hart, RVT, VTS (ECC) and Andrea Pace, CVT, VTS (ECC)

    15 Nutrition 169
    Ann Wortinger, LVT, RVT, BIS, VTS (ECC)-R (SAIM) (Nutrition), Elite FFCP (Veterinary), FVTE

    16 Glucose 183
    Jessica Herley, RVN, VTS (ECC) and Bethany Thomas, RVN, VTS (SAIM)

    17 Immune Status and Antibiotics 199
    Renee LaCorte, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC) and Melissa Evans, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)

    18 Wound Healing and Bandages 210
    Nicholas Rivituso, CVT, VTS (ECC) and Angela Elia, CVT, LVT, VTS (ECC)

    19 Drug Dose and Metabolism 227
    Emily Geisler, BS, LVT, VTS (Anesthesia and Analgesia)

    20 Pain Control 237
    Claire Woolford, RVN, VTS (Anesthesia and Analgesia)

    21 Nursing Care and Tender Loving Care 254
    Rachel Kinser, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC)

    Index 263

  • Melissa Evans, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)

    Owner, Melissa E VTS(ECC) Consulting, LLC. is a credentialed veterinary technician who earned her specialty in Emergency and Critical Care in 2018. Melissa has worked at referral and specialty hospitals in both New Jersey and New York as an Emergency, ICU, and Critical Care technician. She currently owns her own business where she trains technicians and doctors in advanced skills.

Veterinary Clinics of North America
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