The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice
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Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract. · Nov 1994
ReviewThe emergency care of traumatic wounds: current recommendations.
Emergency management of wounds involves examination and protection of the wound with a wet dressing (when possible) to prevent further contamination and desiccation. Analgesia (or preferably anesthesia) is provided and the patient and the wound are prepared for surgery. Copious amounts of lavage solution are used under moderate pressure. ⋯ Light pressure bandages are recommended to minimize swelling. Nutritional considerations should be given to the wounded patient. Additional protein, vitamins, and minerals may be required for immune function and wound repair.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract. · Sep 1994
ReviewTracheostomies in the management of canine and feline upper respiratory disease.
Permanent tracheostomy and tube tracheostomy are both important for patients' supportive care; neither procedure cures any particular disease. Permanent tracheostomy is indicated to by-pass upper airway obstructions in the ambulatory patient needing an alternate airflow route for a long period. ⋯ Obstruction of the tube or stoma is the most common life-threatening problem. Most problems can be circumvented with careful and diligent patient management.
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Skin stapling is the fastest method of closure for long skin incisions. In addition, clean-contaminated wounds closed by staples have a greater resistance to infections than wounds closed with suture. ⋯ Many skin staplers are available to the veterinary surgeon and most perform satisfactorily. Stapling may be economically feasible when the reduced cost of surgical time and anesthesia is considered.
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Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract. · Mar 1992
ReviewPrecautions when using alpha-2 agonists as anesthetics or anesthetic adjuvants.
Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists have some unique properties that could theoretically make them useful in the perianesthetic period: they reduce the MAC of inhaled anesthetics, and they are reversible. They also have properties that may limit their usefulness, such as marked decreases in cardiac output. Their clinical utility awaits further studies.
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Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract. · Mar 1992
Review Practice Guideline GuidelineAdvantages and guidelines for using alpha-2 agonists as anesthetic adjuvants.
Xylazine and medetomidine produce reliable sedation, muscle relaxation, and analgesia in dogs and cats. In addition, alpha-2 agonists have proved very effective as sedative-analgesic adjuncts when coadministered with benzodiazepine or opioid agonists. Alpha-2 agonists should not be classified as monoanesthetics. ⋯ Because of the acute alterations in cardiopulmonary function commonly induced by alpha-2 agonists, it is suggested that their use be restricted to the young healthy patient undergoing routine surgical or diagnostic procedure. The development of more specific and selective alpha-2 agonists will continue to enhance the safety and reliability of this novel class of compounds. The unique spectrum of anesthetic properties induced by alpha-2 agonists has assured them of an increasingly prominent role in the development of new and sophisticated ways of achieving anesthesia.