The ABCs of Trauma Care: What to do When the Hit By Car Patient Presents to Your Clinic

This course will focus on the clinical approach and management of polytrauma/blunt trauma (ie hit by car) in small animal patients.  We will review hospital readiness, primary survey, diagnostics, resuscitation, and secondary survey of the polytrauma trauma patient.  This lecture will evaluate the evidence and practical approach to stabilizing and managing these patients in the setting of a general practice or emergency/specialty hospital.  We will review the dos and don’ts of trauma care and cover the patient evaluation, diagnostics, and treatment essentials in both a limited resource and optimal care setting.  Much can be done to help these patients (and harm them!) regardless of the resources available, particularly in the early stages of trauma.  We will dive into the practical, systematic, and evidence-based approach to this intimidating type of emergence, so that attendees feeling confident in seeing these unexpected cases in any practice setting.