Crash Boxes

Re: Crash Boxes

sisterscope1 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:25:18 GMT

Yep, would recommend the dog urinary catheter and ET connector combo, can use it to insufflate O2 whilst using as a stylet for difficult intubations. Also have 16g needles and wire stylets for retrograde intubations, dread English Bull Terriers...

You can label syringes and needles and autoclave or ETO them for various drugs

Most important thing about a crash box is having a care plan and familiarity, keep it simple and logical. Calculators, pen torches and stethoscopes are good too.

Re: Crash Boxes

Nick Shackleton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:11:56 GMT

a size 3mm ET tube blue connector is always handy to have as it attached nicely to a urinary catheter aided you to deliver O2 to patient who have occluded air way

Re: Crash Boxes

Freckle — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:03:56 GMT

the ones i have seen in practice contain:

drugs - various - usually decided by the vets

iv catheters

scissors

pre-attached syringes and needles (changed weekly)

stethoscope

dose chart

tracheostomy kit

small bottle of spirit

+/- defib

also vitally important is a maintenence chart, making sure that expiry dates etc are checked regularly - i worked in one place where we had a quiet day, so i checked the crash box - drugs we all OOD - I think 5 years was the longest, about 6 months the least

Re: Crash Boxes

Dawn Seabrook — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:26:06 GMT

Suggestion from my emergency and critical care course yesterday was to keep a couple of sterile dog catheters in your crash box as most drugs can be given straight into the lungs by sticking a dog catheter down the et tube you just need to double the dose apparently this is incredibly effective in the crashed patient as your periferal profusion may not be good.

Re: Crash Boxes

Kay Eminson — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:41:19 GMT

we have a small box and all it contains is the drugs and a sheet with dosages on

Our prep room is small and the table is right next to everything including the circuit right by, a few shelves on the wall which have the masks and tubes on the rack. Needles an syringes close too

All very well being the emergancy happens in the prep room!

Re: Crash Boxes

Vicky RVN — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:33:14 GMT

Was just looking at these ones http://www.wms.co.uk/Bristol_Maid_Caretray_Trolley.html?V=&SID=1090&SSID=3393&GID=9393 and thought they looked quite good...until i saw the price

Re: Crash Boxes

Vicky RVN — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:29:07 GMT

Ours is something along the lines of this, with trays that slide out.

Re: Crash Boxes

Nick Shackleton — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:54:22 GMT

forgot to mention we also have a 'crash care plan' chart to fill out ie who is present, drugs given etc... as well as ICU kennel sheet and a pen.

Re: Crash Boxes

Nick Shackleton — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:59:29 GMT

we use a trolley too. We have an oxygen cylinder attached to ours, which is pretty handy. we have quick reference chat for most of the emergency drugs

Ambu bag too

we also have an ECG machine and defibrillator (luckily not had to use the latter so far)

Pretty much what ours looks like! CAn be picked up second hand

Re: Crash Boxes

anji jonas — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:47:11 GMT

the quick look dose chart is an absolute must. in a real emergency the last thing you want it to be calculating doses!

we keep a pen torch and laryngoscope in our too.

why not put up a list in the vets office and get them all to write on it what they think they need. then you can base your decisions on that.

Re: Crash Boxes

Vicky RVN — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:04:28 GMT

We use a trolley rather than a box, so trays with the stuff in, makes it easier to grab in an emergency. And because it's a trolley it can easily be picked up and moved out of it's place and then lost!

Re: Crash Boxes

Kim Buckley — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:03:09 GMT

I hate our emergency box at work!

We've got adrenaline, atropine, trach kits, needles, syringes and dose charts and other stuff in it. Trouble I find is we only have one in the building and it's kept in the prep room where everything is kept anyway! It takes 10 times longer trying to get it out of the box than it does to grab it from it's normal place and the box is just a complete mess!

One of the vets was after some atropine yesterday for a hypersalivating dog and it was right at the bottom of the box. He even said "oh it's a good thing this isn't an emergency!"

I think we need a different kind of box because ours clearly isn't working.

Oh and we have dopram drops in the fridge!

Re: Crash Boxes

Katie Tallett RVN MBVNA — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:39:35 GMT

we have a tracheostomy kit in ours and equine iv catheters for pleural effusions.

dopram, quick look dosage chart

Re: Crash Boxes

Emily Hibbs — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:21:35 GMT

Needles and syringes of various sizes, scissors, tourniquets, ET tubes, antisedan, sterile scalpel blades.