ABSTRACT: Tracheal avulsion (TA) is the complete severance of the intrathoracic trachea and in cats is generally attributed to blunt-force trauma resulting in hyperflexion of the neck, often following a road traffic accident (RTA). Some cats possibly suffer a tracheal avulsion which is never diagnosed as they die at the roadside from concurrent fatal injuries. This article will explore the signs, diagnosis and surgical treatment of TA, and specifically the nurse’s role during anaesthesia. The discussion involves the case of a 2-year-old male neutered domestic short hair who presented to the clinic with dyspnoea 2 weeks after an RTA.

Author

Paula Bagshaw-Wright Cert VNECC Dip AVN Ncert (A&CC) RVN

Paula qualified in 2008 and achieved her Nurses Certificate in Anaesthesia and Critical Care in 2012. In September 2016 she completed the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing and obtained her Vets Now Emergency and Critical Care Certificate in April 2019. She has worked for Woodcroft Veterinary Group in Cheshire for 17 years. She has a keen interest in orthopaedics and anaesthesia and analgesia in the critical patient.

Email: paula.bagshaw-wright@woodcroftvets.com

Keywords: trachea; avulsion; IPPV

To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 34 (11 )• November 2019 pp280-282

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