This is a recording of a Free Veterinary CPD Webinar from Vet Education with Dr Philip Judge BVSc MVS PG Cert Vet Stud MACVSc (VECC; Medicine of Dogs).
Why do we need to be particularly careful when administering analgesia drugs to emergency patients? The analgesics we commonly use can have profound affects on how the cardiovascular system, respiratory system and CNS function. In an emergency patient, until we establish an underlying complaint it is especially important to consider the risks each drug could pose.
Dr Judge discusses how underlying respiratory pathology could dictate analgesia choice including the following complaints: pulmonary contusions, pleural space disease, diaphragmatic hernia, airway disease.
Next Dr Judge talks through how cardiovascular pathology could affect our choices including: haemorrhage, shock, myocardial contusions, acid-base imbalances, arrhythmias and underlying cardiac disease. Which analgesic drugs does Dr Judge recommend avoiding in certain emergency cases and why?
Dr Judge discusses in detail the use of NSAIDs, Opiods (including fentanyl, buprenorphine, butorphanol and morphine), alpha-2 agonists, lidocaine, and ketamine and how to employ each in different situations.
We then hear more specifically about how to manage analgesia in the following cases: fractured ribs, pneumothorax, cardiac disease, head trauma, acute abdominal pain including GDVs, ruptured bladder, urethral obstruction, acute kidney injury, myopathy and sepsis.
Related CPD:
- Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation – An Introduction (Veterinary Journal Club)
