Over the past 25 years, Ken Yagi has dedicated his career to reimagining veterinary nursing. He is currently the Chief Veterinary Nursing Officer for Veterinary Emergency Group and the Program Director for the RECOVER Initiative. Ken passionately works to bring further recognition of the vital role of veterinary nurses and technicians through work with industry leading organizations.
TOPIC: EMERGENCY AND CRITICAL CARE
| 8:00 AM-9:00 AM | Shock Has Many Faces: The Keys to Perfusion
Patients presenting in shock are among the most common emergencies. These patients are unable to produce adequate cellular energy. Hemodynamic compromise and loss of proper perfusion leads to significant physiological consequences and requires immediate intervention for restoration. This session will help you recognize signs of circulatory shock through physical assessment parameters and accessible monitoring technology, as well as understand treatment and nursing interventions. |
| 9:10 AM-10:10 AM | Triage: Sharpen Your Hands, Eyes, Ears, and Mind
A panicked owner brings in their pet with an emergency—so what do you do? Technicians are often the first to assess a patient’s status upon presentation and must be able to swiftly determine how urgently the patient requires care. In this session, we will discuss methods of performing effective triage and how to use our hands, eyes, ears, and sharp mind to put it all together. |
| 10:25 AM-11:25 AM | RECOVER 2.0: The Updated Evidence-Based CPR Guidelines
A patient is rushed into your practice, and you witness the patient stop breathing! Do you know what to do next? Cardiopulmonary arrest is the ultimate emergency facing our patients. Clear knowledge on the current methods in CPR is important in providing these patients the best chance of survival. The RECOVER CPR guideline is an evidence-based veterinary CPR guideline initially updated in 2012, and now updated in 2024, continuing the mission to globally standardize veterinary CPR through certification. The effect of implementation of such a guideline into practice and one hospital’s experience will also be shared. |
| 12:25 PM-1:25 PM | MythBusters: ECC Nursing Myths and Truths
Various nursing practices are considered to be “standard of care”—but are they really? Some practices are continued out of tradition, some have valid evidence to support their use, and others are topics of controversy. This session will answer many prominent nursing questions and discuss the methods of incorporating evidence into nursing practice. |
| 1:35 PM-2:35 PM | Emergency Transfusions: Recent Updates to Practical Challenges
The ability to perform transfusions in an emergency is a lifesaving form of treatment today but can be complicated and face practical challenges. Having enough of the correct type of blood can be a practical limitation in providing care. Application of transfusion medicine involves determining when transfusions are truly needed, compatibility testing, and careful administration. What kind of pumps and filters should be used in red blood cell transfusions? We will explore recent information surroundings transfusions through available evidence. |
| 2:45 PM-3:45 PM | Can Buster Save Felix, or Should He Save Himself? Xenotransfusion and Autotransfusion
Blood products are always short in supply, and at times, it is necessary to use creative methods of providing blood transfusion resources. Dog to cat transfusions and autotransfusions have been discussed as a source of red blood cells in a time of need. We will discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and risks associated with these alternative transfusion methods. |
