RESPIRATORY EMERGENCIES
A dog is cyanotic and has severe inspiratory effort. What should you provide immediately?
Oxygen
A patient is actively seizing for several minutes. What is the immediate treatment goal?
Stop the seizure
A dog has severe acute blood loss and anemia. Which blood product provides only red blood cells?
Packed RBCs
A blood glucose of 35 mg/dL indicates what?
Hypoglycemia
A medication error is discovered immediately after administration. What should the technician do first?
Notify the veterinarian
A cat has absent lung sounds dorsally and is severely dyspneic. What condition should you suspect?
Pleural effusion
A dog remains unconscious after a seizure. What parameter is especially important to monitor?
Blood glucose
Which blood product is primarily used to replace multiple clotting factors?
Fresh frozen plasma (FFP)
A PCV suddenly drops from 40% to 20% in a trauma patient. What should you suspect?
Blood loss
A medication is ordered at 0.2 mg/kg for a 10-kg patient. How many milligrams are needed?
2 mg
A dog has muffled heart sounds, weak pulses, and distended jugular veins. What condition should you suspect?
Pericardial tamponade
A patient has seizures, hyperthermia, and muscle rigidity. What complication are you particularly concerned about?
Hyperthermia
A patient develops fever, vomiting, and restlessness shortly after a blood transfusion begins. What should you do first?
Stop the transfusion
A patient has prolonged PT and aPTT. What system is likely affected?
Coagulation
A drug concentration is 10 mg/mL and the prescribed dose is 20 mg. How many milliliters are required?
2 mL
A dyspneic patient suddenly becomes apneic after excessive restraint. What complication are you most concerned about?
Respiratory arrest
A head-trauma patient has decreasing mentation and anisocoria. What serious complication should you suspect?
Increased intracranial pressure
A patient develops facial swelling, urticaria, and vomiting during a transfusion. What type of reaction is most likely?
Allergic reaction
A septic patient develops thrombocytopenia, prolonged clotting times, and bleeding from catheter sites. What syndrome should you suspect?
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
The doctor orders a 5% dextrose solution for a patient. There is 650mL of LRS left in the fluid bag. The concentration of Dextrose is 50%.
How many mL of dextrose should be added to the bag?
65 mL
A dog with severe respiratory distress has unilateral absent lung sounds and worsening cyanosis. What emergency procedure may be required?
Thoracocentesis
A patient with suspected increased intracranial pressure suddenly develops hypertension and bradycardia. What classic response is this?
Cushing reflex
A patient develops hemoglobinemia and hemoglobinuria during a transfusion. What serious complication should you suspect?
Hemolytic transfusion reaction
A critically ill patient has worsening lactate despite fluid resuscitation. What does this suggest?
Persistent hypoperfusion
A 30-kg dog is prescribed a drug CRI at 2 mcg/kg/min. The drug concentration is 5 mg/mL.
How many mg of drug will the patient receive per hour?
3.6 mg/hr