Triage

Question 1

Triage assumes that we have limited ______.

Answer 1

Resources
time, personnel, space, and supplies.

We must sort patients based on urgency so that the most critical patients are receiving those limited resources.

Question 2

T/F: triage only occurs once when an animal presents to the hospital

Answer 2

false – we are constantly reevaluating patients and their triage status

Question 3

how long should triage take?

Answer 3

60 seconds

Question 4

which 3 major body systems should you be assessing briefly in your triage exam and why these 3 only?

Answer 4

heart
lungs
brain

because without these 3, you’d die immediately!

Question 5

what 2 things should you be quickly assessing as a part of the neurological assessment of triage?

Answer 5

1. mentation (normal, dull, stuporous, comatose, dead, demented)
2. are they actively seizing?

Question 6

________ mentation meanas responding to all stimuli but with less vigor than normal

Answer 6

dull

Question 7

________ mentation means only responding to noxious stimuli

Answer 7

stuporous

Question 8

_________ mentation means not responding to any stimuli at all.

Answer 8

comatose

Question 9

_________ mentation means responding inappropriately to stimuli

Answer 9

demented

Question 10

T/F: you do not need your stethoscope for triage

Answer 10

true

Question 11

What 3 things are you assessing about the respiratory system during your triage?

Answer 11

1. are they breathing?
2. how is the effort?
3. what is the rate?

Question 12

What is the only piece of actual equipment you need to assess the cardiovascular system during triage?

Answer 12

thermometer which assess perfusion

Question 13

What parameters can you assess quickly in your triage to evaluate perfusion in your patient?

Answer 13

• heart rate
• MM color
• CRT
• mentation
• temperature
• pulse quality

Question 14

In dogs ________ heart rate is more concerning

Answer 14

tachycardic (>120)

higher may be ok if they are excited, happy, or agitated, so take context into consideration.

Question 15

Cardiac output =

Answer 15

HR x SVR

Question 16

BP =

Answer 16

CO x SVR

Question 17

in cats ______ heart rate is more concerning.

Answer 17

bradycardic (<180)

cats become bradycardic in shock

Question 18

where does the color of the mucous membranes come from?

Answer 18

hemoglobin

pink gums = oxyhemoglobin

blue gums = deoxyhemoglobin

brown gums = methemoglobin (damaged hemoglobin)

white gums = no hemoglobin

yellow gums = bilirubin (a byproduct of hemoglobin breakdown)

Question 19

T/F: you should assume that a patient with pink gums have an appropriate pulse ox

Answer 19

false

Question 20

what is a NORMAL CRT?

Answer 20

1-2 seconds

Question 21

what CRT indicates vasodilation?

Answer 21

CRT < 1 sec

Question 22

what CRT indicates vasoconstriction?

Answer 22

CRT > 2 seconds

Question 23

How can mentation give you information about perfusion?

Answer 23

the brain needs oxygen and sugar (from the blood) to operate appropriately.
If a patient is not perfusing appropriately, the brain becomes deprived of these things and mentation is altered.

You should treat the perfusion FIRST, then reassess mentation

Question 24

T/F: the worse the mentation, the more urgently a patient should be seen and treated.

Answer 24

true

Question 25

which temperature extreme are we MOST concerned about in our patients?

Answer 25

hypothermia when we are cold, we vasoconstrict and vasoconstricting will make us cold.

Question 26

What are the 3 pulse qualities?

Answer 26

1. normal 2. weak 3. bounding

Question 27

T/F: respiratory distress requires urgent intervention

Answer 27

true

Question 28

T/F: triage is about severity of the disease, not urgency of the intervention

Answer 28

false -- opposite.