IMMEDIATE SYSTEMIC ASSESSMENT

Initial physical assessment of an animal with severe brain injuries should concentrate on imminently life-threaten-ing abnormalities. It is important not to focus immediate-ly on the patient’s neurological status as many cases will be in a state of hypovolaemic shock following a head injury, which can exacerbate a depressed mentation. Hypovolaemia needs to be recognised and corrected straightaway. As with all types of acute injury, the ‘ABC’ (airway, breathing, cardiovascular status) of emergency care is extremely important to address. Rapid assessment tests, including packed cell volume, total protein, blood urea nitrogen and blood glucose, are all part of the initial patient assessment (see table on the right). Systemic blood pressure Systemic or mean arterial blood pressure has been sug