Making the best of limited resources for difficult wounds

Are wounds a prevalent condition veterinarians face in the field? Data demonstrates that wounds are in the top 3 most diagnosed conditions amongst working horses. And while you may feel that not much can be done when you don’t have many medications and drugs available, even few resources can be extremely efficient when the wound is best assessed. So when faced by challenge, try to remember this invaluable statement: Triaging and assessing a wound is one of the most important steps in wound therapy. More repaired wounds fail because of improper preparation and assessment rather than improper therapy. And while there is no doubt that working with limited resources can be challenging, and that the conditions will test your “inventive” nature… with careful monitoring of the progression and evolvement of these wounds, we can still treat the vast majority of them. During this brief talk we will walk through the steps required to address a wound, sharing some tricks of the trade, picked up over years of addressing wounds with nothing more than a few items in our treatment bag. The triage steps we will review and address will include: An objective evaluation of your patient’s behavior and general health A detailed examination and assessment of the wound itself. Review of the potential cause/reason of injury Assessment of the space/time and resources (both in equipment and man skills) available for and during the recovery phase Wound preparation, treatment and dressing. Ongoing management This is a highly interactive session where all participants are welcome to share their hands on experiences and thoughts.