Veterinary TPR and Triage Techniques

TPRs and Triage

• Veterinarians rely on technicians for patient monitoring under anesthesia.
• Technicians need to recognize normal and abnormal patient conditions.
• Technicians provide thorough patient histories.
• Technicians perform triage on patients entering the clinic

Temperature Sites

• Rectal
• Axillary
• Inguinal
• Aural
• Body surface (IFT)
• Esophageal

Temperature Equivalents

• Fahrenheit to Celsius: F° = (C° x 9/5) + 32
• Celsius to Fahrenheit: C° = (F° − 32) x 5/9

Pulse

• Reflects perfusion to peripheral tissues
• Locate artery over bone/firm tissue (e.g., femoral, dorsal pedal, facial/submandibular, digital, lingual).
• A strong pulse should be easily palpable.

Bounding Pulse

• Large difference between systole (contraction) and diastole (relaxation)
• Use analgesics and fluids for weak pulses

Respiration

• Respiratory tract includes nasal passages, pharynx, larynx, and lungs.
• Signs of respiratory distress: increased rate, changes in pattern, postural changes, open-mouthed/labored breathing.

Respiratory Patterns

• Stridor: nasal/pharyngeal airway sounds
• Stertor: snoring sound
• Rapid/shallow breathing
• Labored breathing during inspiration/expiration
• Expiration distress with short inspirations
• Wheezing: lower airway sounds

Capillary Refill Time (CRT)

• Normal is 1-2 seconds.

• 2 seconds: vasoconstriction, impaired perfusion; aggressive fluids/oxygen therapy required.

• <1 second: vasodilation; anxiety, shock, fever, pain.

MM Color

• Pink: Normal, adequate perfusion
• Cyanotic: Inadequate oxygenation to periphery, hypoxia
• Icteric: Bilirubin interpretation, liver issues
• Brick Red: Excessive vasodilation, inflammatory response
• Pale: Poor perfusion, anemia, shock, injury
• Brown: Methemoglobinemia, acetaminophen toxicity, poisoning
• Petechia: Coagulation disorder, DIC, platelet issues

Normal Ranges

Triage

• Triage is a French word meaning "to sort" or "to select."
• Severity of illness, not arrival time, determines patient treatment priority.
• Triage Levels include critical (Level 1), urgent (Level 2), and important (Level 3).

Primary Survey

• Airway/Attitude, Breathing/Bleeding, Cardiovascular/Circulation

Triage – Patient Assessment

• Look: Patient responsiveness, active bleeding, breathing.
• Listen: Auscultate heart, lungs, and trachea.
• Feel: Palpate pulse, check for obvious trauma.

Triage – Brief History

• Chief complaint
• Time frame
• Actions taken so far
• Prior hospital visit details
• Diagnoses
• Medications

Triage – Important Questions

• Resuscitation status
• Permission to give medications
• Permission to perform diagnostics
• Cost

Triage – Quick Physical Exam

• TPR (Temperature, Pulse, Respiration)
• MM (Mucous Membrane color)
• CRT (Capillary refill time)
• Auscultate heart and lungs
• Weight
• Trauma (obvious fractures, wounds)

Crash Cart

• Routine maintenance, labeling, central location are critical.
• Includes airway, venous, cardiovascular supplies.
• Includes medications (epinephrine, atropine, naloxone, lidocaine, dextrose, diazepam, etc.) and miscellaneous items (gloves, surgical blades, alcohol).
• Optional premade kits for common situations (e.g, thoracocentesis, blocked cat)

This quiz covers essential topics in veterinary medicine, focusing on TPRs (Temperature, Pulse, Respiration) and triage procedures. It highlights the role of technicians in monitoring patient conditions and understanding temperature measurement sites and equivalents. Test your knowledge on assessing patient status and managing anesthesia effectively.