Lecture 14 VMT 2024

Quote: "As distance tests a horse’s strength, so does time reveal a person’s true character.” – Chinese proverb

Physical Examinations (PE): Assesses a patient’s condition.
Vital Signs: Key parameters to assess health:
- Temperature, Pulse, Respiration (TPR)
- Febrile/Afebrile: Indicates presence or absence of fever.
- Pyrexia: Means fever (from Latin, pur = fire).
- Hypothermia: Low body temperature.
- Blood Pressure (BP):
  - Tens/o: pressure.
  - Normotension: Normal blood pressure.
  - Hypertension/Hypotension: Elevated or reduced blood pressure.
Pain Score: Assessment of pain level in the patient.

Auscultation: Listening to body sounds.
Palpation: Feeling with hands to gather information.
Percussion: Tapping on surfaces (often body cavities) to assess underlying structures.

Diagnosis: Identification of a disease.
Prognosis: Expected outcome of a disease.
Sign vs Symptom vs Syndrome:
- Sign: Objective evidence of disease.
- Symptom: Subjective experience reported by the patient.
- Syndrome: A group of signs and symptoms occurring together.
Peracute vs Acute vs Chronic: Different time frames of disease onset and duration.

Disease: Deviation from normal structure/function.
- Infectious vs Noninfectious: Types of diseases.
- Contagious: Can spread from one individual to another.
- Iatrogenic: Induced by medical treatment.
- Nosocomial: Acquired in a hospital setting.
- Idiopathic: Of unknown cause.

Pathogen: Infectious agent causing disease.
Pathogenesis: Development of disease.
Pathology: Study of disease.
Morbidity vs Mortality: Rates of disease and death.
Moribund: Near death.
Transmission: Transfer from one animal to another, categorized:
- Horizontal: Between individuals of the same generation.
- Vertical: From parent to offspring.
Prophylaxis: Preventative measures against disease.
Zoonosis: Diseases that transmit between animals and humans.

Radiography: X-ray imaging.
Computed Tomography (CT): Detailed imaging using multiple X-ray angles.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Non-invasive imaging using magnetic fields.
Fluoroscopy: Real-time X-ray imaging.
Ultrasound (US): Sound wave imaging technique, often used in pregnancy checks.

Quote: "Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine." – George Gordon, Lord Byron

Contraindication: Recommendations against drug use.
Dose/Dosage: Amount of drug relative to body weight.
- Example: Drug X dosage = 1 mg/kg; for a 5 kg cat, dose = 5 mg.
Indication: Approved use of a drug.
Prescription (Rx): Drugs requiring a licensed professional for purchase.

Oral (p.o.): Through the mouth.
Parenteral: Any route excluding the gastrointestinal tract;
- Injection: Delivered via syringe.
- Topical: Applied to skin or mucous membranes.
- Transdermal: Delivered through the skin.
- Transmucosal: Through mucous membranes.
- Inhalation: Breathed directly into lungs.

Analgesics: Pain relief drugs.
The Anti’s: Different categories of drugs:
- Antibiotics/Antimicrobials: Combat bacteria.
- Anticoagulants: Prevent blood clots.
- Anticonvulsants: Manage seizures.
- Antiemetics: Prevent nausea and vomiting.
- Anthelmintics: Treat parasitic worm infections.
- Anti-inflammatories: Reduce inflammation (e.g., NSAIDs).
- Antipyretic: Lower fever.
- Antitussive: Suppress cough.
Emetic: Induces vomiting.
Immunosuppressant: Reduces immune response.
Anthelmintic: Targets parasites.

Disinfectant: Kills microbes on inanimate surfaces.
Antiseptic: Kills microbes on living tissues.
Sterilization: Destroys all organisms and spores:
- Methods:
  - Steam (autoclave)
  - Chemical (e.g., ethylene oxide gas)

Equipment:
- Cautery
- Clamp
- Drape
- Emasculator
- Hemostatic forceps
- Retractor
- Scalpel
- Tissue forceps
Complications:
- Dehiscence: Wound reopening.
- Hemorrhage: Excessive bleeding.
- Hemostasis: Stopping blood flow.
- Seroma: Fluid collection in tissue.

Biopsy: Removal of living tissue for examination:
- Excisional Biopsy: Entire lesion removed.
- Incisional Biopsy: A portion of the lesion is removed.
- Needle Biopsy: Uses a needle to extract tissue.
Histopathology: Microscopic examination of tissue to identify disease, usually done by a pathologist.