Cardiovascular monitoring reminders for technicians
Erica Brandt, CVT, VTS (ECC), gives an overview of the technology used in cardio monitoring and how to troubleshoot concerning numbers
While at the Fetch conference in Long Beach, California, Erica Brandt, CVT, VTS (ECC), hospital director of WestVet in Meridian, Idaho, sat down with dvm360 in an interview and shared her thoughts on veterinary cardiology technology and how veterinary technicians can become more comfortable and confident with using these devices/machines. She also gave her advice for dealing with abnormal numbers and reminded technicians to keep in mind that a patient's "normal" might not be exact to the textbook's normal.
The following is a partial transcript of the video.
Erica Brandt, CVT, VTS (ECC): The technology in cardio monitoring has come a long way in human medicine. I think the thing that we need to remember in veterinary medicine is that we need to know how to use the technology that we have, and use it very well. So something like blood pressure monitoring, something like ECGs, do we need to advance to the level that human medicine is at? Maybe not. Maybe we just need to go back and be very confident, very comfortable, and understand what our blood pressure monitoring is telling us and how to get the best blood pressure monitoring.
The biggest thing that I would tell a technician when troubleshooting abnormal numbers, is know what is normal. But not only know what is normal pertaining to the textbook, but know what is normal for your patient.
