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Veterinary Nursing Guide to Monitoring Critical Patients
The Rule of 20

Melissa Evans (Edited by), M Evans (Author)

9781394351275, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 25 June 2026

288 pages
27.2 x 21.6 x 1.5 cm, 0.771 kg

Master Critical Patient Care: The Essential Rule of 20 Guide for Veterinary Technicians

The Veterinary Nursing Guide to Monitoring Critical Patients: The Rule of 20 examines each parameter in the Rule of 20, a checklist of 20 parameters that should be monitored daily in critical veterinary patients. The book explains what is being monitored and why, with parameters organized in a logical order for creating nursing plans. It emphasizes how each rule affects the others and how to use that knowledge to anticipate patient needs. Each chapter focuses on a single parameter and its practical application and includes a summary of nursing considerations. The book also features examples to illustrate the Rule of 20 fundamentals.

The Veterinary Nursing Guide to Monitoring Critical Patients: The Rule of 20 discusses:

  • Fluid balance and colloidal osmotic pressure, oxygenation and ventilation, blood pressure, heart rate, rhythm, and contractility, and glucose
  • Temperature, electrolyte and acid-base balance, mentation, and red blood cell and hemoglobin concentration
  • Gastrointestinal motility and mucosal integrity, nutrition, renal function, coagulation, and immune status and antibiotic use
  • Drug dosage and metabolism, pain control, nursing care and patient mobilization, wound care and bandage change, and tender loving care

The Veterinary Nursing Guide to Monitoring Critical Patients: The Rule of 20 is an excellent resource for veterinary technicians, particularly those in Emergency and Critical Care (ECC), to anticipate patient needs and prepare for complications, as well as for technicians working toward their Veterinary Technician Specialty.

List of Contributors vii
Preface viii
Acknowledgements ix
About the Companion Website x

1 Introduction 1
Melissa Evans, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)

2 Fluid Balance 3
Chloe Fay, BSc (Hons), RVN, CertVN ECC, NCert (Anesthesia), VTS (ECC)

3 Oxygenation and Ventilation 16
Nicole Dickerson, RVT, VTS (ECC)

4 Heart Rate, Rhythm, and Contractility 28
Cherise Johnson, LVT, VTS (Cardiology)

5 Body Temperature 43
Bree Carmichiel, LVT, VTS (ECC) and Laura Waller, RVT

6 Blood Pressure 55
Sarah Harris, CVT, VTS (ECC)

7 Neurological Status 66
Zoe Hatfield, RVN, VTS (Neurology) and Melissa Evans, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)

8 Electrolytes 82
Marlaina Hrosch, LVT, RVT, VTS (ECC)

9 Acid–Base Balance 93
Samantha Baine, LVT VTS (ECC), Haven Bade, LVT, MVEd., VTS (ECC and Anesthesia and Analgesia), FFCP

10 Red Blood Cells and Hemoglobin 106
Lexi Dickens, BS, LVT, RVT, VTS (ECC)

11 Coagulation 120
Kara Magneheim, BAS, CVT, VTS (ECC)

12 Albumin and Colloid Osmotic Pressure 136
Renee L Brown, DipVN, RVNS, VTS (ECC)

13 Renal Function 147
Jaima Gropp, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC), CCFP, Elite FFCP (Veterinary and Veterinary-Avian)

14 Gastrointestinal Motility and Integrity 157
Amber Hart, RVT, VTS (ECC) and Andrea Pace, CVT, VTS (ECC)

15 Nutrition 169
Ann Wortinger, LVT, RVT, BIS, VTS (ECC)-R (SAIM) (Nutrition), Elite FFCP (Veterinary), FVTE

16 Glucose 183
Jessica Herley, RVN, VTS (ECC) and Bethany Thomas, RVN, VTS (SAIM)

17 Immune Status and Antibiotics 199
Renee LaCorte, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC) and Melissa Evans, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)

18 Wound Healing and Bandages 210
Nicholas Rivituso, CVT, VTS (ECC) and Angela Elia, CVT, LVT, VTS (ECC)

19 Drug Dose and Metabolism 227
Emily Geisler, BS, LVT, VTS (Anesthesia and Analgesia)

20 Pain Control 237
Claire Woolford, RVN, VTS (Anesthesia and Analgesia)

21 Nursing Care and Tender Loving Care 254
Rachel Kinser, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC)

Index 263

Subject Areas: Veterinary medicine [MZ]
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