Physiology of the cardiovascular system – what a veterinary nurse needs to know

Heart murmurs in young puppies and kittens are often managed incorrectly. We know that a delay in the diagnosis of congenital heart disease can mean incorrect treatments and cause a major impact on longer term prognosis. This webinar will help guide the veterinary team through the assessment, management and prognosis of commonly encountered congenital heart diseases with plenty of practical tips and tricks for improving your knowledge on the subject. It also aims to give delegates confidence when discussing these congenital conditions with owners and colleagues. Learning Objectives: • How to identify animals that may have congenital heart disease • Understand the most appropriate tests and how to perform these well in young animals • Improve ability to detect and understand the significance of a murmur • Prognosis and treatment options available for the common congenital heart conditions seen

Feline heartworm disease, caused by Dirofilaria immitis worms, is a good example of where a cat is definitely not a small dog. Infection in dogs tends to be better tolerated, the adult worms are more likely to reach patency and diagnosis and treatment are (relatively) easier than in cats. The reasons for these differences, what can be done to ensure cats avoid this infection and measures to take when cats have the infection will be explored in this webinar. The webinar will also provide an update on heartworm infection in the US, where resistance to heartworm preventives is evolving while researchers seek to understand the factors that led to the genesis of resistance and new solutions, whilst heartworm infection continues to spread. The implications that climate change may have on the epidemiology of heartworm disease will be explored.

Cardiac emergencies require urgent attention, and delay of treatment to these patients may cause fatalities. Understanding how the condition will affect the patient is key to understanding treatment efficacy and the importance of the nurse’s role within the management of these patients. This webinar will take an in-depth look at emergency management and treatment of common cardiac emergencies that present to the ER. Specific topics will include congestive heart failure, arrhythmia's, and pericardial effusion. During this one-hour session, top tips and deeper understanding of pathophysiology, clinical symptoms, treatment and nursing considerations will be addressed. A comprehensive focus on ECG interpretation and introduction to ultrasound techniques through case studies will help the nurse with case management.